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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. stock — shares
  3. row — a line
  4. bound — tied together
  5. row — to paddle
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bound — certain
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bank — for money
  11. saw — the tool
  12. march — music
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bound — obliged
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bank — of a river
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. march — the month
  22. bank — for money
  23. march — the month
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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