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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. last — final
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. ground — a position
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. ground — the earth
  20. shower — rain
  21. last — finally
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. last — to go on

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