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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. lean — thin
  3. chest — of your body
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. ball — a great time
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. chest — of your body
  8. can — a tin
  9. chest — a box
  10. branch — a division
  11. ball — a dance
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. snap — to click
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. lean — to bend
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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