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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: tube · bound · straw · stand · can · land · wind · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bound — tied together
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mine — for digging
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wind — moving air
  9. land — ground
  10. can — to be able to
  11. land — a country
  12. bound — obliged
  13. stand — to bear
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. can — a tin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. land — to come down
  19. can — a tin
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — the underground
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bound — certain
  24. stand — on your feet

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