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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cold — an illness
  7. can — a tin
  8. root — of a word
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. branch — a division
  12. root — of a plant
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. root — the cause

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