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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. current — electric
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. bank — for money
  8. spell — letters
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. current — of water
  11. net — for catching
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bank — for money
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. net — after costs
  21. spell — magic
  22. current — happening now
  23. net — in sport
  24. bank — of a river

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