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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. root — of a word
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bank — for money
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. root — of a plant
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. staff — employees
  12. craft — a skill
  13. staff — a stick
  14. ground — a position
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. staff — employees
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bank — for money
  21. craft — boats
  22. root — the cause
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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