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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. current — happening now
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. chest — a box
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. current — of water
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pound — a weight
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. current — electric
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bank — for money
  21. fall — to drop
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pound — for dogs

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