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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bank — for money
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bear — the animal
  12. tube — a container
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bank — for money
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bank — of a river
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. tube — the underground
  24. deal — a big deal

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