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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: swing · straw · band · trunk · foot · branch · toast · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. branch — a division
  3. swing — music
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. tear — to rip
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. swing — in golf
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. foot — a measure
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. band — a music group
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. swing — to play on
  19. tear — from crying
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. toast — bread
  24. foot — the bottom

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