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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 112 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. branch — a division
  6. scale — size or range
  7. tube — a container
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. tube — the underground
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. spring — a coil

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