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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: bound · mouse · pitch · bank · wind · tear · game · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bank — of a river
  6. staff — employees
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bound — certain
  10. game — a match
  11. bank — for money
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bank — for money
  15. tear — to rip
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wind — moving air
  19. tear — from crying
  20. staff — a stick
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. tear — from crying

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