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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: bank · ground · safe · prune · wind · snap · straw · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — obliged
  3. snap — to click
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ground — crushed
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bank — for money
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. wind — moving air
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bound — tied together
  15. ground — a position
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ground — the earth
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. safe — out of danger

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