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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 · fan · last · bound · hide · leaves · cap · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. last — finally
  4. cap — of ice
  5. last — to go on
  6. cap — a lid
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bear — the animal
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bound — certain
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bound — obliged
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cap — a hat
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. last — final
  24. bound — tied together

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