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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: straw · lie · sharp · bank · drill · bound · pitcher · wake

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bank — for money
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bound — certain
  11. wake — a trail
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bank — for money
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. drill — army training
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bound — tied together
  24. straw — a straw man

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