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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. firm — decided
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bound — tied together
  5. firm — steady
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bank — for money
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for dancing
  10. chest — a box
  11. club — for golf
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bank — of a river
  14. track — a path
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bank — for money
  18. spring — the season
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. chest — of your body
  21. firm — a company
  22. spring — of water
  23. track — a song
  24. bound — certain

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