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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: date · bound · leaves · net · ground · rock · straw · cabinet

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. ground — crushed
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. date — the fruit
  5. net — after costs
  6. bound — certain
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bound — obliged
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bound — tied together
  11. ground — a position
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. net — for catching
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rock — a stone
  22. net — in sport
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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