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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bank — for money
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. court — of a king
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. court — for sport
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. can — a tin
  15. track — a song
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. staff — a stick
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. court — of law
  21. can — a tin
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  24. straw — a straw man

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