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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. can — a tin
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. can — to be able to
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. net — in sport
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bank — of a river
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bank — for money
  16. net — for catching
  17. band — a music group
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. net — after costs
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ground — a position
  23. bank — for money
  24. can — a tin

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