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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. present — a gift
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. present — there
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. prune — to trim
  14. present — the time now
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bank — for money
  19. prune — to trim
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bank — for money
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bank — of a river
  24. sharp — exactly

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