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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bank — for money
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. rock — music
  5. face — part of the head
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. face — to confront
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bank — for money
  12. face — to point toward
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. board — to get on
  15. bank — of a river
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. hand — help
  19. rock — a stone
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. board — a committee
  23. hand — in cards
  24. straw — a straw man

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