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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. hand — help
  3. squash — the sport
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. current — happening now
  8. squash — to crush
  9. current — electric
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. ball — a dance
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bank — for money
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bank — of a river
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. current — of water
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. ball — a round shape

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