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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: file · wind · stick · mark · bound · mine · hand · toast

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. hand — help
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mark — a grade
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mark — a trace
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. file — a document
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. hand — in cards
  17. toast — bread
  18. bound — certain
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. file — a line of people
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. file — a tool

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