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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. tube — the underground
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. court — of law
  11. tube — a container
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bank — for money
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. court — of a king
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bank — for money
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. court — for sport

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