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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. ground — a position
  3. branch — a division
  4. bank — for money
  5. land — ground
  6. ground — the earth
  7. current — electric
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. land — a country
  11. current — of water
  12. land — to come down
  13. club — for dancing
  14. current — happening now
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bank — for money
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bank — of a river
  21. club — a group
  22. fork — in a road
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. club — for golf

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