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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 120 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: sharp · bank · wave · cell · straw · track · foot · pitcher

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. bank — for money
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bank — of a river
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bank — for money
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. sharp — clever
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. track — a song
  17. cell — a phone
  18. foot — a measure
  19. track — a path
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. foot — the bottom
  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