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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.

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 · racket · object · saw · spring · snap · straw · sharp

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. object — a thing
  5. spring — of water
  6. branch — a division
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. saw — the tool
  10. object — to protest
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. sharp — clever
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. spring — the season
  17. saw — the tool
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. snap — to click
  20. object — an aim
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. branch — of a bank

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