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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: bound · sharp · fan · row · straw · cap · perch · lean

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. perch — the fish
  3. cap — a hat
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. lean — to bend
  6. sharp — clever
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bound — obliged
  19. row — a line
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bound — tied together
  24. lean — thin

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