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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: land · bank · shower · game · bound · straw · bear · calf

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bound — certain
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bank — of a river
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. land — ground
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bank — for money
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bear — the animal
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bank — for money
  24. bear — to put up with

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