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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: straw · wax · branch · tube · pound · track · rush · bank

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bank — for money
  3. track — a song
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. track — to keep track
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bank — for money
  12. tube — the underground
  13. branch — a division
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bank — of a river
  16. pound — a weight
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. track — a path

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