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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — of water
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bank — for money
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. chip — for betting
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chest — of your body
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. dip — to sink
  15. chest — a box
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bank — of a river
  19. chest — of your body
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bank — for money
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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