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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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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: tube · straw · court · bank · fan · saw · last · face

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bank — for money
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. tube — the underground
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. last — to go on
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. saw — the tool
  14. last — finally
  15. bank — for money
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. face — part of the head
  18. court — of law
  19. face — to confront
  20. court — of a king
  21. bank — of a river
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. last — final
  24. court — for sport

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