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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: bound · straw · firm · jam · rash · stick · stem · wind

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. firm — a company
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stem — to come from
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. rash — a series
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rash — hasty
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. firm — decided
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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