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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: prune · bowl · straw · mouse · chest · object · fan · bound

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bound — obliged
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. chest — of your body
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bound — tied together
  10. chest — a box
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. object — a thing
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. object — an aim
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bound — certain
  24. bowl — to roll

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