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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 · arm · swing · straw · cabinet · branch · toast · roll

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. swing — in golf
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. roll — a list
  8. swing — music
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. swing — to play on
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hand — help
  13. roll — a cake
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. branch — a division
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. toast — bread
  24. branch — of a bank

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