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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · field · craft · fall · wound · prune · wake · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bound — certain
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. craft — boats
  8. fall — the season
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. fall — to drop
  11. prune — to trim
  12. field — for sport
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. field — a subject
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. field — farmland
  20. wound — an injury
  21. craft — a skill
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bound — obliged
  24. prune — to trim

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