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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bank — for money
  5. fall — to drop
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a plant
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. file — a document
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. fall — the season
  16. capital — money
  17. bank — for money
  18. root — of a word
  19. file — a line of people
  20. capital — a city
  21. bank — of a river
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. file — a tool
  24. pitcher — a jug

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