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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · rush · kid · branch · bass · content · temple · land

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. kid — child
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rush — hurry
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. content — the amount
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. content — happy
  14. bass — low music
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bass — the fish
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. land — to come down
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. kid — to tease
  23. branch — a division
  24. straw — a straw man

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