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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 116 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. cell — a phone
  4. branch — a division
  5. mark — a grade
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. track — a path
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. track — to keep track
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. cell — in biology
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. track — a song
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. band — a ring
  23. mark — a trace
  24. prune — to trim

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