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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bore · stick · straw · cabinet · lean · bound · hide · key

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lean — thin
  5. bore — to tire
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bound — tied together
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bound — certain
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bound — obliged
  15. lean — to bend
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. key — in music
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. key — for a lock
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bore — to drill

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