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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: staff · chest · bound · rush · cap · wind · fork · stick

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bound — obliged
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bound — certain
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. cap — a hat
  11. chest — of your body
  12. staff — employees
  13. fork — in a road
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rush — hurry
  18. chest — a box
  19. staff — employees
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. staff — a stick
  23. cap — a lid
  24. rush — to hurry

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