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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. root — of a word
  4. bank — for money
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. current — of water
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. current — electric
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. current — happening now
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. root — of a plant
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. root — the cause
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — not warm

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