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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: row · club · straw · bound · object · bulb · wind · fork

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. wind — moving air
  6. object — to protest
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. object — an aim
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. fork — in a road
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bulb — for light
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for golf
  15. bound — obliged
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. bulb — for light
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. row — to paddle

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