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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. land — a country
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bank — for money
  8. land — ground
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bank — of a river
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bank — for money
  24. land — to come down

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