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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 120 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pop — soda
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bank — of a river
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pop — to visit
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pop — music
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wound — an injury
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bank — for money
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bound — obliged
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bound — certain
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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