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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: bound · straw · trunk · nail · capital · pitcher · rush · rock

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. rock — music
  9. bound — obliged
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. rock — a stone
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bound — certain
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. rush — hurry
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a city
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. trunk — of a car

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