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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: band · root · saw · branch · bank · chair · bay · straw

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. band — a music group
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. saw — the tool
  8. root — of a word
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. chair — a leader
  13. band — a ring
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. saw — the tool
  17. root — of a plant
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bank — for money
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. branch — a division
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. root — the cause

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