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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — not warm
  4. tube — a container
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. root — the cause
  10. land — a country
  11. root — of a plant
  12. cue — a signal
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cue — for pool
  15. land — ground
  16. root — of a word
  17. bank — for money
  18. cue — a hint
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. land — to come down
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bank — for money
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. tube — the underground

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