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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. club — for dancing
  3. file — a tool
  4. lean — thin
  5. file — a document
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. file — a line of people
  10. scale — size or range
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. club — a group
  13. bank — for money
  14. pound — a weight
  15. lean — to bend
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. club — for golf
  23. bank — of a river
  24. scale — in music

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