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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bank — for money
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bank — for money
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bank — of a river
  14. tear — to rip
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. tear — from crying

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