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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: mug · lean · branch · prune · field · straw · march · suit

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. mug — a face
  3. suit — in cards
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. mug — a cup
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. field — a subject
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. lean — to bend
  14. prune — to trim
  15. march — the month
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mug — to rob
  18. branch — a division
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. field — farmland
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. field — for sport
  23. suit — to fit
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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