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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 120 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: race · stick · branch · fall · straw · wax · fine · content

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fine — all right
  4. content — the amount
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. fine — high quality
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — the arms race
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. fall — the season
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. fall — to drop
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. branch — a division
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. race — a contest
  24. content — happy

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