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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: toast · stock · nail · straw · present · mine · jam · branch

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. present — a gift
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. present — the time now
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. toast — bread
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. present — there
  19. branch — a division
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. nail — for a hammer

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