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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: leaves · stem · branch · straw · roll · net · pop · rush

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. roll — a cake
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. pop — soda
  5. net — for catching
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. branch — a division
  10. pop — music
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. roll — a list
  13. rush — hurry
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. pop — to visit
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stem — to come from

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