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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: branch · tube · march · hand · snap · jam · cue · straw

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. branch — a division
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. tube — the underground
  6. march — the month
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. cue — a signal
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. march — music
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. hand — in cards
  18. tube — a container
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a hint
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. hand — help
  23. snap — to click
  24. tube — in a tire

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