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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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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: pass · straw · row · stick · bound · wind · fan · swing

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. swing — to play on
  3. row — a line
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bound — tied together
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. swing — music
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pass — a permit
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bound — certain
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. swing — in golf
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pass — to spend time

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