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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bank — of a river
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. prune — to trim
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bank — for money
  15. rock — a stone
  16. content — the amount
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. rock — music
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bank — for money
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fan — a supporter

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