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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 124 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. court — of law
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. content — the amount
  5. object — a thing
  6. row — a line
  7. object — to protest
  8. row — to paddle
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bank — for money
  12. court — for sport
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bank — for money
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — happy
  17. court — of a king
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bank — of a river
  22. mine — for digging
  23. object — an aim
  24. mine — belonging to me

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