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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: branch · firm · press · straw · nail · fine · bore · bat

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. fine — all right
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. firm — steady
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bore — to tire
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bore — to drill
  15. fine — high quality
  16. firm — decided
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. branch — a division
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. nail — for a hammer

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