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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. cell — in biology
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. branch — a division
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. degree — an amount
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bank — for money
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bank — of a river
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bank — for money
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bass — low music
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. cell — a phone

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