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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bank — of a river
  3. fall — to drop
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. stock — goods
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bulb — for light
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fall — the season
  15. bank — for money
  16. stock — shares
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bound — certain
  19. prune — to trim
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bank — for money
  24. cell — a phone

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