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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. bank — of a river
  3. ball — a great time
  4. object — a thing
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. ball — a dance
  9. object — an aim
  10. ground — the earth
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bank — for money
  15. bark — to shout
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. object — to protest
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stand — to bear
  21. cold — an illness
  22. ground — a position
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bank — for money

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