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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bank — for money
  5. march — the month
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. march — music
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — the season
  14. march — the month
  15. bank — for money
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. spring — of water
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stem — to come from
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. sharp — clever
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. perch — the fish
  24. sharp — exactly

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