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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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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: chest · club · perch · straw · saw · roll · bank · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. chest — of your body
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. saw — the tool
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — a group
  7. perch — the fish
  8. chest — of your body
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bank — for money
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. club — for golf
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. chest — a box
  18. bank — of a river
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. branch — a division
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bank — for money
  23. roll — a cake
  24. saw — the tool

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