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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. firm — steady
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mate — a partner
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lean — to bend
  9. file — a document
  10. firm — decided
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bank — for money
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. perch — the fish
  15. file — a tool
  16. lean — thin
  17. bank — for money
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mate — a friend
  21. firm — a company
  22. mate — to breed
  23. file — a line of people
  24. land — a country

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