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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. swing — in golf
  3. net — in sport
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. tear — from crying
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. court — for sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. swing — to play on
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. key — in music
  19. swing — music
  20. court — of a king
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. court — of law

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