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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.

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: bound · straw · press · wake · row · lean · snap · bulb

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bound — tied together
  3. press — to push
  4. bound — certain
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bulb — for light
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bulb — for light
  10. press — a publisher
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. snap — to click
  15. wake — a trail
  16. lean — thin
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. row — to paddle
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bound — obliged
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. row — a line
  24. wake — before a funeral

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