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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.

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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 · branch · deal · net · squash · trunk · perch · chest

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. deal — to handle
  7. net — in sport
  8. chest — of your body
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. squash — to crush
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. net — for catching
  14. chest — a box
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. chest — of your body
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. branch — a division
  22. perch — the fish
  23. squash — the sport
  24. net — after costs

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