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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: straw · pop · coach · branch · band · season · snap · lean

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pop — music
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. snap — to click
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. season — in sport
  17. pop — soda
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. season — of the year
  22. pop — to visit
  23. lean — to bend
  24. band — a rubber band

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