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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: capital · bat · bear · wind · bound · lean · mouse · hand

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bound — certain
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bound — tied together
  9. lean — thin
  10. capital — a city
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. hand — help
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. capital — money
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bat — the animal
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bound — obliged

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