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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
468
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: pitcher · snap · rock · lean · branch · fall · drill · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rock — a stone
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rock — music
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. lean — to bend
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fall — the season
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. snap — to click
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. branch — a division
  17. drill — a practice
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. drill — army training
  23. lean — thin
  24. drill — the tool

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