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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: bear · bank · sharp · land · rush · cold · straw · root

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bank — of a river
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. land — a country
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rush — hurry
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. root — the cause
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bank — for money
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. root — of a word
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bank — for money
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. rush — to hurry

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