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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: branch · field · leaves · straw · mouse · chip · track · pitcher

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. field — farmland
  7. track — to keep track
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. chip — for betting
  10. track — a song
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. branch — a division
  17. track — a path
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. chip — to eat
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. chip — in a computer

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