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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: pitcher · foot · fine · tear · object · straw · branch · club

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. club — a group
  3. object — to protest
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. object — an aim
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fine — high quality
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. tear — from crying
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. branch — a division
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. club — for dancing
  18. tear — to rip
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fine — all right
  21. club — for golf
  22. object — a thing
  23. foot — a measure
  24. fine — a penalty

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