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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bank — for money
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. rest — a break
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. date — the fruit
  9. can — a tin
  10. bank — for money
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. cold — an illness
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bank — of a river
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. can — a tin
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mate — a friend
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mate — to breed

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