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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: straw · snap · bank · row · ball · rest · bound · mate

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — tied together
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bank — for money
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. mate — to breed
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rest — what's left
  11. snap — to click
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bank — for money
  14. rest — a break
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. row — to paddle
  17. mate — a partner
  18. ball — a great time
  19. row — a line
  20. mate — a friend
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bound — obliged

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