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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: plane · wind · rush · cap · roll · dip · march · bound

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bound — obliged
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bound — certain
  7. march — the month
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bound — tied together
  15. roll — a list
  16. plane — a tool
  17. march — music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. dip — to sink
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. march — the month
  23. rush — hurry
  24. roll — on a roll

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