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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: swing · board · rush · straw · branch · trunk · pitcher · track

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. track — a song
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. board — to get on
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. swing — to play on
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. track — a path
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. swing — music
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. branch — a division
  19. board — a committee
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. swing — in golf
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. rush — hurry

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