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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: game · arm · saw · wave · branch · cue · field · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. cue — for pool
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. saw — the tool
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. saw — the tool
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cue — a signal
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. cue — a hint
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. field — farmland
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. branch — a division
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. game — wild animals

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