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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: nail · cap · lie · straw · pitch · branch · stem · land

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. stem — to come from
  10. land — a country
  11. cap — of ice
  12. lie — to recline
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pitch — completely
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. land — to come down
  19. cap — a hat
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. land — ground
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cap — a lid

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