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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bank — for money
  7. cold — not warm
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. spell — a short time
  10. hand — help
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bank — of a river
  16. spell — magic
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. lie — to recline
  19. spell — letters
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bank — for money
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. hand — in cards
  24. lie — an untruth

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