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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bank — for money
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stem — to come from
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. kid — to tease
  12. fine — all right
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. wound — an injury
  16. kid — child
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. fine — high quality
  21. capital — a city
  22. bank — for money
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

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