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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.

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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: arm · wound · straw · sharp · stock · tear · branch · calf

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. tear — to rip
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. stock — shares
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. wound — an injury
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wound — an injury
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. sharp — clever
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stock — goods

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