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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. row — a line
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bank — of a river
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a cup
  12. wake — a trail
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bank — for money
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. season — of the year
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mug — a face
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bank — for money
  23. season — in sport
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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