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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: bound · cue · sharp · straw · wind · shower · root · march

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cue — a hint
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. root — of a word
  9. march — the month
  10. cue — a signal
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. root — of a plant
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. shower — rain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. march — music
  20. cue — for pool
  21. march — the month
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. sharp — clever
  24. root — the cause

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