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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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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 · fall · ball · bank · leaves · staff · craft · hand

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fall — to drop
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bank — of a river
  6. ball — a dance
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bank — for money
  9. fall — the season
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bank — for money
  12. craft — boats
  13. hand — in cards
  14. craft — a skill
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. staff — employees
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. hand — help
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. fall — to drop
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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