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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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 · bound · last · spring · racket · mug · wound · bay

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. last — final
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. spring — a coil
  5. last — to go on
  6. bound — certain
  7. mug — a face
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. bound — tied together
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bound — obliged
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wound — an injury
  16. last — finally
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. mug — a cup
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mug — to rob
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. wound — an injury

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