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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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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: wind · spell · face · bound · hand · mug · club · foot

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bound — obliged
  7. club — a group
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mug — a cup
  10. face — to point toward
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bound — certain
  13. wind — moving air
  14. face — part of the head
  15. hand — help
  16. spell — magic
  17. face — to confront
  18. hand — in cards
  19. club — for golf
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bound — tied together
  24. club — for dancing

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