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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bank — of a river
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. fork — in a road
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bank — for money
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. hand — help
  15. face — to confront
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bank — for money
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. face — part of the head
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. spring — a coil
  24. straw — a straw man

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