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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: season · straw · coach · current · arm · branch

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. season — of the year
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. current — happening now
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. current — of water
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. current — electric
  16. branch — a division
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. season — in sport

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