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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mug — to rob
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. tube — a container
  9. bank — for money
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mug — a face
  12. tube — the underground
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bank — for money
  15. mug — a cup
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bank — of a river
  19. hand — help
  20. staff — employees
  21. hand — in cards
  22. face — to confront
  23. staff — employees
  24. straw — dry grass

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