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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · stock · straw · bound · lash · band · tear · rock

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. bound — obliged
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bound — certain
  5. tear — from crying
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. stock — goods
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. rock — music
  14. stock — shares
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bound — tied together
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. tear — to rip
  24. band — a ring

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