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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. track — a song
  3. track — a path
  4. row — to paddle
  5. branch — a division
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bound — tied together
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. face — to confront
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. row — a line
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bound — certain
  18. mine — for digging
  19. track — to keep track
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bound — obliged
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mine — an explosive

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