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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. fall — the season
  3. bank — for money
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bank — of a river
  7. field — a subject
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stock — goods
  12. field — farmland
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bank — for money
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. field — for sport
  18. stock — shares

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