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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bulb — for light
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. fine — all right
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. fine — high quality
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bank — for money
  16. content — the amount
  17. cold — an illness
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. spring — the season
  20. cold — not warm
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bulb — for light
  23. spring — of water
  24. content — happy

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