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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: bank · bulb · saw · straw · root · kid · clip · mug

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bank — for money
  11. bulb — for light
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mug — a cup
  15. root — the cause
  16. kid — child
  17. clip — a video
  18. mug — to rob
  19. clip — for paper
  20. root — of a plant
  21. kid — to tease
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mug — a face
  24. saw — the tool

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