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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 · bay · game · shower · tube · bound · rock · coach

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. tube — the underground
  4. game — a match
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bound — tied together
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. shower — rain
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bound — certain
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. shower — to wash
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. wind — moving air
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. tube — a container
  21. bound — obliged
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wind — moving air

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