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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. tube — the underground
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bass — low music
  14. fork — in a road
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bass — the fish
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. shower — rain
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. foot — a measure
  24. tube — a container

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