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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: cabinet · snap · board · bound · rule · straw · band · rush

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rule — government
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. rush — hurry
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rule — a law
  11. bound — certain
  12. board — to get on
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. board — a committee
  21. snap — to click
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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