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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bank — for money
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bank — of a river
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — a group
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lean — thin
  11. mate — to breed
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bank — for money
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. land — to come down
  16. club — for dancing
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. land — ground
  19. land — a country
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wind — moving air
  22. key — in music
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. lean — to rest against

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