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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. sharp — clever
  14. mine — for digging
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money

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