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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. object — to protest
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. rash — a series
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. clip — to cut
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bank — of a river
  17. season — of the year
  18. clip — a video
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. object — an aim
  22. rash — hasty
  23. object — a thing
  24. rash — on the skin

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