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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bank — for money
  3. stand — to bear
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bank — of a river
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bank — for money
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cold — not warm
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cold — an illness
  18. deal — to handle
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. band — a music group
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. row — a line
  24. band — a ring

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