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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: date · straw · season · row · fan · bank · toast · chest

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bank — for money
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. row — to paddle
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bank — of a river
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. chest — a box
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. date — the fruit
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bank — for money
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. toast — bread
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fan — a supporter

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