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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: object · pop · bank · bound · face · clip · perch · straw

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. clip — for paper
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. clip — to cut
  6. object — a thing
  7. perch — the fish
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bank — for money
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bound — certain
  14. bank — for money
  15. clip — a video
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bound — obliged
  19. object — an aim
  20. pop — music
  21. bank — of a river
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. object — to protest
  24. pop — soda

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