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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: bound · game · present · lean · object · straw · can · band

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. game — wild animals
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. can — a tin
  8. present — a gift
  9. object — a thing
  10. lean — thin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. game — a match
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. present — there
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. present — the time now
  17. object — an aim
  18. bound — obliged
  19. can — a tin
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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