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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: row · pitcher · dip · mark · mine · straw · leaves · branch

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. mine — for digging
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mark — a trace
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. mark — a grade
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. dip — to sink
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pitcher — a jug

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