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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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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: straw · race · bank · kick · wave · stick · lean · leaves

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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. leaves — to go away
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bank — for money
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. race — the arms race
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. race — humankind
  17. bank — of a river
  18. kick — in football
  19. race — a contest
  20. lean — to bend
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. lean — thin

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