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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: row · bat · bound · cabinet · squash · leaves · bank · wind

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wind — moving air
  3. row — a line
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bank — for money
  7. squash — to crush
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bound — certain
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bat — the animal
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bound — tied together
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. wind — moving air
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bank — for money

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