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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 · branch · row · toast · bear · lash · land · straw

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. land — to come down
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. game — a match
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. branch — a division
  16. bear — the animal
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — bread
  19. row — a line
  20. game — wild animals
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bear — the animal
  24. land — ground

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