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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: patient · bound · game · perch · foot · leaves · straw · board

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — to get on
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. game — a match
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bound — obliged
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bound — tied together
  13. game — wild animals
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. perch — the fish
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bound — certain
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — of a tree

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