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

Word bank: row · cap · firm · bat · mate · straw · bank · leaves

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. firm — steady
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bank — for money
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bank — for money
  9. row — a line
  10. bank — of a river
  11. firm — a company
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. cap — a hat
  18. mate — to breed
  19. firm — decided
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. row — to paddle
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bat — the animal

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