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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bank — for money
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mate — a friend
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bank — for money
  13. hand — help
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bank — of a river
  18. rash — a series
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bear — the animal
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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