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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bank · leaves · bat · tube · straw · court · hide · row

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. court — of law
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. row — to paddle
  14. tube — the underground
  15. court — for sport
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bank — for money
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bat — the animal
  23. row — a line
  24. court — of a king

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