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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. lean — to bend
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lean — thin
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. current — happening now
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bound — certain
  17. prune — to trim
  18. current — electric
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bound — obliged
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. current — of water
  24. cap — of ice

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