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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 116 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 as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. spring — of water
  3. charge — electricity
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lean — to bend
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bank — for money
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. hand — in cards
  19. charge — in control
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bank — for money
  22. charge — a price
  23. hand — help
  24. rest — a break

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