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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bank — for money
  4. file — a line of people
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. scale — in music
  7. bank — of a river
  8. roll — a cake
  9. file — a tool
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bank — for money
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. stand — to bear
  15. prune — to trim
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. rush — hurry
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. file — a document
  21. roll — a list
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. stand — on your feet

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