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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: bank · wind · face · straw · bound · roll · pop · dip

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pop — soda
  3. bound — obliged
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. dip — to sink
  6. pop — music
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bound — certain
  9. face — part of the head
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. wind — moving air
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bound — tied together
  14. face — to confront
  15. pop — to visit
  16. roll — a list
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bank — for money
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. roll — a cake
  21. bank — for money
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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