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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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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: hand · last · straw · object · branch · mark · bowl · drill

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. object — an aim
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. hand — help
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. drill — the tool
  9. last — to go on
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mark — a grade
  14. hand — in cards
  15. last — finally
  16. mark — a trace
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. object — a thing
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. branch — a division
  24. object — to protest

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