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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stock — shares
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cell — in biology
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. stock — goods
  10. branch — a division
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bound — certain
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bound — tied together
  20. fall — to drop
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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