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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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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: capital · sharp · straw · mouse · fan · spell · bank · squash

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. spell — letters
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bank — of a river
  8. squash — to crush
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. capital — a city
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bank — for money
  15. squash — the sport
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. spell — a short time
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bank — for money
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. spell — magic
  24. capital — money

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