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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
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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: mine · bound · fork · spell · wind · bay · hand · dip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bound — certain
  11. wind — moving air
  12. hand — help
  13. mine — for digging
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. spell — letters
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bound — tied together
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. fork — to eat with

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