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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · lie · kid · pound · cell · bound · cap · craft

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. craft — boats
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cell — in biology
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bound — certain
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bound — tied together
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. cap — a lid
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cap — a hat
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. craft — a skill
  23. kid — child
  24. pound — a weight

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com