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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. file — a line of people
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bear — the animal
  8. file — a document
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — the animal
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. capital — a city
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. vault — a safe
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. press — a publisher
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. press — to push
  19. bear — the animal
  20. capital — money
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. file — a tool
  24. branch — of a bank

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