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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: wind · cue · pound · wound · bay · ground · deal · spell

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — to handle
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spell — a short time
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. cue — a signal
  11. spell — letters
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. pound — a weight
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. spell — magic
  24. wind — moving air

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