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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: wound · sharp · temple · straw · row · mouse · land · bound

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bound — obliged
  6. row — to paddle
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. land — ground
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. land — a country
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. row — a line
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bound — tied together
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wound — an injury
  22. land — to come down
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bound — certain

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