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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: wake · straw · lean · hand · file · can · wound · bound

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. can — a tin
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. file — a document
  7. bound — tied together
  8. hand — in cards
  9. can — a tin
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bound — obliged
  12. hand — help
  13. file — a tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. can — to be able to
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wound — an injury
  18. file — a line of people
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bound — certain
  21. lean — thin
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. lean — to rest against

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