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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. tube — a container
  5. chest — a box
  6. ground — a position
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bank — for money
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. chest — of your body
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. branch — a division
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chest — of your body
  16. tube — the underground
  17. ground — crushed
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bank — of a river
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. ground — the earth
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bank — for 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