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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 116 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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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: lean · bank · craft · staff · spring · fine · straw · fan

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. bank — of a river
  6. staff — employees
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lean — thin
  12. bank — for money
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. craft — a skill
  15. staff — employees
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. staff — a stick
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. spring — the season
  20. craft — boats
  21. bank — for money
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fan — to cool the air

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