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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · key · land · hand · bound · fan · straw · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. land — ground
  6. key — in music
  7. band — a ring
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. land — to come down
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. key — the most important part
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bound — tied together
  16. hand — help
  17. band — a music group
  18. land — a country
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. key — for a lock
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fan — to cool the air

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