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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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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 · straw · content · branch · tube · present · row · safe

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. content — happy
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. present — there
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. row — a line
  9. branch — a division
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. tube — a container
  19. present — a gift
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. row — to paddle
  22. content — the amount
  23. present — the time now
  24. tube — the underground

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