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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 120 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: wind · fine · last · pound · bound · nail · wave · craft

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. fine — high quality
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. pound — a weight
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bound — obliged
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bound — certain
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. craft — boats
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. wind — moving air
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wind — moving air
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fine — all right
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. nail — for a hammer

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