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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 124 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bank — for money
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. net — in sport
  8. hand — in cards
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. net — after costs
  17. wind — moving air
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. net — for catching
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wind — moving air
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. snap — to click

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