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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. land — ground
  3. bank — for money
  4. field — for sport
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. band — a music group
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bank — of a river
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. land — to come down
  17. bulb — for light
  18. field — a subject
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. field — farmland
  21. bank — for money
  22. land — a country
  23. band — a ring
  24. bear — to put up with

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