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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bank — for money
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. mug — to rob
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. club — a group
  10. mug — a cup
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bank — for money
  16. club — for dancing
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. stem — to come from
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. club — for golf
  22. mug — a face
  23. perch — the fish
  24. stem — a stem cell

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