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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 120 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 · mouse · present · fan · bound · shower · club · land

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bound — obliged
  5. present — there
  6. land — a country
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — rain
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. present — a gift
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. club — for dancing
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bound — certain
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. land — to come down
  22. present — the time now
  23. land — ground
  24. bound — tied together

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