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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 116 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: staff · net · bay · land · prune · straw · deal · branch

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. staff — a stick
  3. land — ground
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. staff — employees
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. prune — to trim
  14. land — a country
  15. net — in sport
  16. branch — a division
  17. net — after costs
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. land — to come down
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. net — for catching
  22. staff — employees
  23. deal — to handle
  24. prune — to trim

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