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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 116 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: nail · straw · spring · perch · fine · sharp · bank · bear

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. fine — all right
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bank — of a river
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bank — for money
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. perch — the fish
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. fine — high quality
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. spring — of water
  21. sharp — clever
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bank — for money
  24. bear — 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