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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bear — the animal
  3. degree — from a university
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. suit — to fit
  10. band — a ring
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. band — a music group
  14. degree — an amount
  15. perch — the fish
  16. suit — clothes
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bear — the animal
  19. suit — in cards
  20. degree — temperature
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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