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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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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: straw · pass · fall · branch · pound · bay · ball · kick

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. ball — a dance
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. fall — to drop
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. branch — a division
  19. ball — a great time
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. pound — a weight
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. kick — in football

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