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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 120 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
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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: wind · bay · lean · bound · season · ground · branch · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. lean — to bend
  5. season — in sport
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — a position
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. ground — crushed
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bound — obliged
  19. wind — moving air
  20. season — of the year
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. lean — thin
  24. bound — certain

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