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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: bass · perch · race · rush · snap · branch · mouse · straw

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. snap — to click
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. perch — the fish
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. race — a contest
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. race — humankind
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bass — low music
  18. branch — a division
  19. bass — the fish
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. rush — hurry
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. race — the arms race

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