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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: wind · leaves · clip · mug · cabinet · pop · bound · stand

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. pop — to visit
  3. mug — a face
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bound — certain
  8. pop — music
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — to bear
  16. mug — to rob
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — a video
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. pop — soda
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bound — tied together

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