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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bulb — for light
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bank — for money
  7. bulb — for light
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. row — to paddle
  12. track — a song
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — of a plant
  15. net — for catching
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. root — the cause
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. content — happy
  20. bank — for money
  21. net — in sport
  22. content — the amount
  23. net — after costs
  24. row — a line

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