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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 116 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: mug · branch · staff · swing · tube · straw · plane · pitcher

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — a face
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. staff — a stick
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. swing — to play on
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. tube — the underground
  16. staff — employees
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. swing — in golf
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. staff — employees
  22. swing — music
  23. branch — a division
  24. mug — to rob

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