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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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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 · foot · mine · bound · chair · cap · bore · wind

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bore — to drill
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. foot — a measure
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bound — certain
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mine — for digging
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bound — tied together
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wind — to turn a key

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