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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 120 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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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: kid · current · bay · squash · bound · pop · wind · spell

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bound — obliged
  4. spell — letters
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. pop — soda
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. kid — child
  11. squash — the sport
  12. spell — a short time
  13. current — of water
  14. bound — certain
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pop — music
  20. current — happening now
  21. bound — tied together
  22. kid — to tease
  23. current — electric
  24. spell — magic

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