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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 116 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: lie · rest · straw · branch · bound · swing · saw · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. object — a thing
  5. lie — to recline
  6. rest — a break
  7. swing — in golf
  8. rest — what's left
  9. object — to protest
  10. branch — a division
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bound — tied together
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. rest — what's left
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — music
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. lie — an untruth

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