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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bank — of a river
  4. spring — of water
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. charge — a price
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bank — for money
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bank — for money
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. rest — a break
  13. spring — the season
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stock — shares
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. charge — in control
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stock — goods
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wind — moving air

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