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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: rock · clip · bound · wake · wind · racket · tube · bay

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bound — tied together
  5. clip — to cut
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. rock — music
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. tube — a container
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. wind — moving air
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bound — certain
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wind — to turn a key

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