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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. suit — to fit
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bank — of a river
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. spring — a coil
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. scale — size or range
  9. suit — clothes
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bank — for money
  12. spring — of water
  13. bank — for money
  14. squash — the sport
  15. stand — to bear
  16. scale — in music
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. spring — the season
  22. squash — to crush
  23. sharp — clever
  24. straw — a straw man

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