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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 116 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: lean · last · straw · coach · cabinet · wound · bound · hand

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. hand — help
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bound — certain
  13. last — finally
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. last — to go on
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wound — an injury
  18. last — final
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. hand — in cards

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