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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: firm · mine · wake · ground · straw · kick · spell · bound

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. firm — a company
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. ground — the earth
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wake — a trail
  15. ground — crushed
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. bound — certain
  19. ground — a position
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — in football
  22. mine — for digging
  23. firm — steady
  24. firm — decided

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