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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bank — for money
  5. bound — certain
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bound — obliged
  11. fine — all right
  12. dip — to sink
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bank — of a river
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. chair — a leader
  24. prune — to trim

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