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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: wake · clip · nail · straw · stick · foot · bound · lean

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. lean — thin
  4. wake — a trail
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. foot — a measure
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. clip — a video
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bound — tied together
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bound — certain
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — for paper
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bound — obliged

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