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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. spring — of water
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. spring — the season
  7. land — ground
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bank — for money
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bank — for money
  12. land — to come down
  13. hand — in cards
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to click
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bank — of a river
  23. land — a country
  24. lash — to lash out

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