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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitcher · fall · branch · straw · saw · ground

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. fall — to drop
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fall — the season
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. ground — crushed
  8. branch — a division
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fall — to drop
  14. ground — the earth
  15. saw — the tool
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. ground — a position
  18. pitcher — a jug

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