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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 124 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 · leaves · racket · branch · track · arm · staff · clip

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. clip — to cut
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. staff — a stick
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. staff — employees
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. clip — for paper
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. clip — a video
  13. staff — employees
  14. track — a path
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. track — a song
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. branch — a division
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. track — to keep track
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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