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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: mine · straw · bulb · bound · lean · snap · sharp · last

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. lean — thin
  5. bound — obliged
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bound — certain
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. snap — to click
  15. bound — tied together
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. last — final
  18. bulb — for light
  19. sharp — clever
  20. mine — for digging
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. last — to go on
  23. lean — to bend
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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