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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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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: file · fan · wind · stock · game · present · bore · bound

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. present — a gift
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. present — there
  6. bound — obliged
  7. file — a document
  8. wind — moving air
  9. file — a tool
  10. game — wild animals
  11. stock — goods
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. file — a line of people
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wind — moving air
  16. game — a match
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bore — to drill
  19. present — the time now
  20. stock — shares
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. game — a kind of play

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