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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. cap — of ice
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cap — a hat
  5. hand — in cards
  6. last — final
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. hand — help
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — a division
  15. cap — a lid
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. last — to go on
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. last — finally
  22. wake — a trail
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wake — before a funeral

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