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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.

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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: pop · bank · safe · straw · cold · kid · deal · board

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pop — music
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. board — to get on
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cold — not warm
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bank — for money
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. kid — to tease
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. pop — to visit
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. kid — child
  18. board — a committee
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. deal — to handle
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. pop — soda
  24. bank — of a river

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