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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bank — of a river
  4. chair — a leader
  5. spring — of water
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. stand — to bear
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bank — for money
  13. saw — the tool
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. saw — the tool
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — the season
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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