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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: content · cue · craft · last · bass · wind · bank · bound

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bank — of a river
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bound — obliged
  6. last — to go on
  7. bank — for money
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bank — for money
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bound — certain
  13. cue — a signal
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — boats
  16. cue — for pool
  17. wind — moving air
  18. craft — a skill
  19. content — the amount
  20. last — final
  21. bass — low music
  22. content — happy
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. content — videos and posts

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