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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: straw · bound · wind · pitcher · season · bay · fall · rush

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. season — in sport
  3. bound — tied together
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. fall — the season
  8. season — of the year
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bound — certain
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bound — obliged
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. fall — to drop
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. wind — moving air

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