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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: lean · fork · shower · deal · straw · bound · cell · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — certain
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. fork — in a road
  7. cap — a hat
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. cap — of ice
  12. shower — to wash
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. shower — rain
  15. cell — a phone
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bound — obliged
  19. deal — to handle
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. cell — in biology
  24. lean — thin

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