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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. snap — to click
  3. bank — for money
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. current — of water
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bound — obliged
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. track — a path
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. track — a song
  18. branch — a division
  19. current — happening now
  20. track — to keep track
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. current — electric
  24. bank — for money

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