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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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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. branch — a division
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cap — a hat
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pop — music
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pop — soda
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. cap — a lid
  16. staff — employees
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. pop — to visit
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. cap — of ice
  21. date — the fruit
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. scale — size or range
  24. straw — a straw man

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