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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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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: capital · row · bound · deal · bulb · straw · mug · wound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — tied together
  3. row — a line
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. deal — to handle
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bound — certain
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wound — an injury
  18. capital — money
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. capital — a city
  23. bulb — for light
  24. straw — dry grass

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