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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. season — in sport
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. season — of the year
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rush — hurry
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. branch — a division

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