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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ground — crushed
  3. current — happening now
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. rock — music
  6. current — electric
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bank — of a river
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. current — of water
  14. foot — a measure
  15. rock — a stone
  16. ground — a position
  17. cell — a phone
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. fall — the season
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bank — for money
  22. cell — in biology
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. foot — the bottom

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