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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 · field · branch · bound · pitcher · lean · spring · can

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. lean — thin
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. branch — a division
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bound — obliged
  11. field — a subject
  12. spring — of water
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. field — farmland
  15. spring — the season
  16. lean — to bend
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. can — a tin
  20. field — for sport
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bound — certain
  24. branch — of a tree

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