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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. bound — certain
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bank — of a river
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. foot — a measure
  9. suit — to fit
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bank — for money
  20. cold — an illness
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bank — for money
  23. bound — tied together
  24. suit — clothes

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