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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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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: race · wind · pound · fan · can · clip · cabinet · wound

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. race — the arms race
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wind — moving air
  7. clip — to cut
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. can — a tin
  11. pound — a weight
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. race — humankind
  15. wind — moving air
  16. race — a contest
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wound — an injury
  21. can — a tin
  22. clip — a video
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pound — for dogs

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