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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bank — for money
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. bank — for money
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bank — of a river
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. root — of a word
  11. degree — temperature
  12. root — the cause
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. season — in sport
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mine — for digging
  22. foot — a measure
  23. season — of the year
  24. root — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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