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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 116 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: kid · current · straw · lean · squash · firm · bound · scale

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. lean — thin
  3. scale — in music
  4. squash — the sport
  5. kid — child
  6. bound — obliged
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. firm — steady
  9. bound — certain
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. current — electric
  12. squash — to crush
  13. firm — a company
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bound — tied together
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. scale — size or range
  18. current — happening now
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. current — of water
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. lean — to bend

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