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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: bound · bay · wind · club · fork · saw · net · pop

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. net — in sport
  3. fork — in a road
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bound — obliged
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. net — after costs
  12. bound — certain
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wind — moving air
  17. net — for catching
  18. pop — music
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for golf
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. pop — soda
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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