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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. 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. straw — a straw man
  2. charge — a price
  3. saw — the tool
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. present — the time now
  6. march — music
  7. charge — electricity
  8. present — a gift
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. band — a music group
  15. charge — in control
  16. band — a ring
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. present — there
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. branch — a division
  24. 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