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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: bowl · arm · key · branch · rush · straw · bass · firm

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bass — the fish
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — decided
  10. bass — low music
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. branch — a division
  14. firm — steady
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. key — the most important part
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bowl — a football final

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