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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.

Make a worksheet

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

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: staff · spring · rash · bound · wind · bay · file · mouse

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. staff — employees
  8. spring — of water
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rash — a series
  11. staff — a stick
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bound — tied together
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. staff — employees
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rash — hasty
  19. spring — the season
  20. file — a tool
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bay — a horse colour

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