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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: bound · land · fan · fine · jam · straw

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bound — obliged
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. land — ground
  6. bound — tied together
  7. fine — all right
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. land — to come down
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. land — a country

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