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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
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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: mark · fan · kid · bound · bark · wound · bank · straw

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. mark — a grade
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. kid — to tease
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bound — tied together
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bank — for money
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bound — certain
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bark — to shout
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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