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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bank — for money
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. board — to get on
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bank — of a river
  7. fork — in a road
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. prune — to trim
  10. kid — child
  11. bank — for money
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. board — a committee
  15. bear — the animal
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. board — a flat piece

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