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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.

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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: bowl · branch · straw · saw · pound · stem · cabinet · arm

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. stem — to come from
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. branch — a division
  24. stem — a stem cell

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