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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 116 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: file · straw · lie · cue · rush · branch · swing · fall

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. lie — to recline
  3. swing — music
  4. file — a tool
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. branch — a division
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — to play on
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. cue — a hint
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fall — to drop
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. file — a line of people
  17. rush — hurry
  18. fall — the season
  19. file — a document
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. cue — a signal

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