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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: sharp · branch · bowl · straw · pitcher · cue · bark · arm

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. cue — for pool
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. branch — a division
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. straw — dry grass

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