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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 116 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: straw · bore · snap · season · fork · bat · band · branch

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bat — the animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. snap — to click
  10. band — a music group
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. fork — in a road
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. band — a ring
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bore — to tire
  21. season — of the year
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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