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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 116 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: bore · bound · straw · row · key · fall · pop · cap

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  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. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bound — obliged
  4. key — the most important part
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. cap — a lid
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bound — certain
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bore — to tire
  15. fall — the season
  16. key — in music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pop — to visit
  19. fall — to drop
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pop — music
  22. fall — to drop
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pop — soda

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