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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 116 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. scale — size or range
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bank — for money
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. root — the cause
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bank — for money
  12. wound — an injury
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bank — of a river
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — of a word
  18. scale — in music

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