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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: cap · rest · mouse · game · straw · shower · branch · snap

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. game — wild animals
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rest — a break
  6. snap — to click
  7. cap — a lid
  8. shower — to wash
  9. branch — a division
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a hat
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. rest — what's left
  22. game — a match
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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