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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. stand — to bear
  3. drill — army training
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. season — of the year
  6. spring — the season
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bank — for money
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. drill — the tool
  12. spring — of water
  13. hand — help
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. season — in sport
  18. drill — a practice
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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