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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: staff · swing · stick · straw · bear · bound · lean · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. swing — music
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bear — the animal
  8. staff — employees
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bound — certain
  11. face — part of the head
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bear — the animal
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bound — obliged
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. staff — employees
  23. swing — in golf
  24. face — to confront

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