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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bank — for money
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. can — a tin
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. last — to go on
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bound — certain
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bound — obliged
  15. can — a tin
  16. last — finally
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bank — for money
  20. last — final
  21. present — a gift
  22. mate — a partner
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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