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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 116 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: branch · wave · press · cue · straw · pop · drill · race

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  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. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — a division
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pop — music
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — a signal
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. pop — to visit
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. press — to push
  15. press — a publisher
  16. race — humankind
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. race — the arms race
  19. press — newspapers
  20. cue — for pool
  21. pop — soda
  22. drill — army training
  23. race — a contest
  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