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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: spring · straw · stock · branch · suit · bat · lie · squash

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. suit — clothes
  5. stock — shares
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. branch — a division
  9. suit — in cards
  10. stock — goods
  11. suit — to fit
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bat — the animal
  24. spring — of water

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