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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. can — a tin
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. current — of water
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. saw — the tool
  14. content — happy
  15. current — happening now
  16. can — to be able to
  17. date — the fruit
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. current — electric
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. can — a tin
  22. saw — the tool
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. content — the amount

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