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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rock — music
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. lean — to bend
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. branch — a division
  9. rock — a stone
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rash — a series
  18. craft — a skill
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. craft — boats
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — thin
  23. plane — a tool
  24. craft — a handicraft

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