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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. perch — the fish
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. tear — to rip
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bank — of a river
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pass — a permit
  16. charge — in control
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — a price
  20. stem — to come from
  21. tear — from crying
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bank — for money

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