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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 124 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. object — to protest
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. object — an aim
  7. rash — a series
  8. can — a tin
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bank — for money
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. bank — for money
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rock — music
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rock — a stone
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bank — of a river

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