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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chest · branch · straw · saw · key · stock · season · ruler

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. chest — of your body
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stock — shares
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stock — goods
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. chest — a box
  20. saw — the tool
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — in music

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