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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: bank · bound · board · firm · straw · row · hide · staff

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. firm — decided
  3. bound — tied together
  4. board — to get on
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bound — certain
  8. staff — employees
  9. board — a committee
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bound — obliged
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bank — of a river
  14. firm — steady
  15. row — a line
  16. firm — a company
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bank — for money
  19. staff — employees
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bank — for money
  22. row — to paddle
  23. staff — a stick
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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