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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: branch · net · squash · bank · straw · firm · hand · chip

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bank — of a river
  4. firm — steady
  5. chip — to eat
  6. net — after costs
  7. branch — a division
  8. squash — to crush
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. firm — decided
  11. firm — a company
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. chip — for betting
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bank — for money
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. squash — the sport
  19. hand — help
  20. net — in sport
  21. hand — in cards
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. net — for catching
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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