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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. kid — to tease
  4. shower — rain
  5. kid — child
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bank — of a river
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rock — a stone
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rock — music
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bank — for money
  23. wound — an injury
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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