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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: wave · straw · mug · leaves · can · stick · bound · pitcher

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mug — a face
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. can — a tin
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. mug — to rob
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. mug — a cup
  24. wave — with your hand

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