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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. spring — of water
  4. bank — for money
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bank — of a river
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bank — for money
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mine — for digging
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. rash — a series
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spring — the season
  21. bore — to tire
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bore — to drill

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