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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
468
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: branch · hand · roll · straw · bank · drill · mine · wind

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. branch — a division
  4. drill — a practice
  5. hand — help
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — a list
  8. drill — army training
  9. mine — for digging
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bank — for money
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. hand — part of the body

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