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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 116 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: wind · content · nail · bound · field · coach · chip · bay

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wind — moving air
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bound — obliged
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. field — for sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. content — the amount
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. content — happy
  20. bound — certain
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. field — farmland
  23. bound — tied together
  24. field — a subject

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