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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. track — a path
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. track — a song
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. saw — the tool
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. branch — a division
  16. lean — thin
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. saw — the tool
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. track — to keep track
  23. march — the month
  24. lean — to bend

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