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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: straw · bound · can · wound · ruler · capital · file · rush

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. capital — a city
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bound — tied together
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. file — a tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. file — a document
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. can — to be able to
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. can — a tin
  24. file — a line of people

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