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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: fan · straw · wake · mouse · bear · bound · fork · current

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. current — happening now
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — certain
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. current — electric
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. current — of water
  24. fan — a supporter

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