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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. hand — help
  3. bank — for money
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pound — a weight
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. object — an aim
  9. saw — the tool
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bank — for money
  15. kid — to tease
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bank — of a river
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. object — a thing
  21. hand — in cards
  22. squash — to crush
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. object — to protest

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