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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 120 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: nail · bass · straw · cabinet · wake · rush · scale · branch

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bass — low music
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. rush — hurry
  18. branch — a division
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bass — the fish

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