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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: branch · shower · straw · roll · mate · pit · cue · saw

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a list
  4. cue — a hint
  5. pit — a hole
  6. branch — a division
  7. cue — for pool
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mate — a friend
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. saw — the tool
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. mate — to breed
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. roll — a cake
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pit — in a race
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — rain
  24. mate — a partner

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