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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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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. march — the month
  4. swing — in golf
  5. chest — a box
  6. march — the month
  7. object — a thing
  8. swing — music
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — a trail
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. deal — to handle
  13. march — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. object — an aim
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. object — to protest
  21. chest — of your body
  22. branch — a division
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chest — of your body

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