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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. swing — in golf
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bank — for money
  5. swing — to play on
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. face — to point toward
  10. mate — a friend
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pit — in a race
  13. face — to confront
  14. swing — music
  15. pit — a hole
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bank — for money
  19. branch — a division
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — to breed
  22. face — part of the head
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. cold — an illness

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