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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. can — to be able to
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. can — a tin
  8. cell — a phone
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — to get on
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bank — for money
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. kid — child
  21. mine — for digging
  22. can — a tin
  23. bank — for money
  24. cell — in a prison

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