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

Word bank: branch · pit · stick · spring · band · straw · pass · fall

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. band — a ring
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. band — a music group
  8. fall — the season
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. pit — in a race
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. spring — the season
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pass — a permit
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pass — to succeed

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