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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. scale — in music
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. current — happening now
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. branch — a division
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bass — low music
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. current — of water
  18. bass — the fish
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. current — electric
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. fork — in a road
  24. nail — for a hammer

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