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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bank — of a river
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. branch — a division
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spring — the season
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. spring — of water

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