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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.

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: straw · bank · craft · tear · track · spell · leaves · file

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. tear — from crying
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. craft — boats
  5. file — a tool
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. spell — letters
  9. track — a song
  10. craft — a skill
  11. spell — a short time
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. track — to keep track
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bank — of a river
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. track — a path
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. file — a document
  20. spell — magic
  21. tear — from crying
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. tear — to rip
  24. file — a line of people

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