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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: fall · pitcher · straw · scale · bound · present · suit · branch

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. branch — a division
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bound — certain
  6. suit — clothes
  7. present — there
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. present — a gift
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. present — the time now
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bound — obliged
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. fall — to drop
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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