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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: bound · sharp · fan · row · straw · cap

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. row — a line
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bound — certain
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. cap — a lid
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cap — a hat
  14. sharp — clever
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cap — of ice

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