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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: branch · staff · wind · court · wave · cabinet · calf · straw

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. wind — moving air
  3. branch — a division
  4. court — for sport
  5. wind — moving air
  6. court — of law
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. court — of a king
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. staff — employees
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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