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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. net — in sport
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. hand — in cards
  5. branch — a division
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. band — a music group
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. hand — help
  11. craft — a skill
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. band — a ring
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. craft — boats
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. branch — of a tree

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