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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
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: straw · lean · drill · wave · bound · leaves · shower · arm

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bound — tied together
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bound — obliged
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — a practice
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bound — certain
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. shower — to wash
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. shower — rain

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