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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: wound · leaves · straw · hand · face · pitcher · bank · ball

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bank — for money
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bank — of a river
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. face — to confront
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bank — for money
  12. face — to point toward
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. hand — in cards
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a dance
  17. hand — help
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ball — a great time
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wound — an injury
  23. face — part of the head
  24. straw — dry grass

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