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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. spring — of water
  3. bank — for money
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — the arms race
  7. spring — the season
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. race — humankind
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bank — for money
  16. perch — the fish
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bear — the animal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tube — a container
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bank — of a river

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