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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: fine · saw · bound · straw · mate · bore · wake · land

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bore — to tire
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. saw — the tool
  9. land — a country
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bound — certain
  12. land — ground
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bore — to drill
  16. land — to come down
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bound — tied together
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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