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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: stem · rock · straw · suit · branch · face · saw · row

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. face — part of the head
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. rock — music
  7. suit — clothes
  8. branch — a division
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. stem — to come from
  13. suit — to fit
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rock — a stone
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. face — to confront
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. suit — in cards
  24. row — a line

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