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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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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 · arm · cold · saw · content · deal · bank · wind

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bank — of a river
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bank — for money
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. cold — an illness
  11. content — the amount
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. deal — to handle
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wind — moving air
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. content — happy
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bank — for money
  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