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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: hand · straw · pop · chair · bound · capital · craft · lash

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bound — obliged
  5. chair — a leader
  6. pop — music
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. pop — soda
  11. bound — certain
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pop — to visit
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. capital — a city
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. capital — money
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. craft — boats
  24. chair — a professorship

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