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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: mark · row · wind · bound · fan · chair · clip · squash

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bound — obliged
  4. clip — a video
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. row — to paddle
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. squash — the sport
  10. clip — for paper
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. row — a line
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wind — moving air
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. mark — a grade
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mark — a trace
  21. clip — to cut
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bound — certain
  24. squash — the vegetable

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