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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rock — music
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. present — there
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. clip — to cut
  9. branch — a division
  10. present — a gift
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. swing — to play on
  13. rock — a stone
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. swing — music
  17. lean — thin
  18. present — the time now
  19. clip — for paper
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. clip — a video
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pitcher — a jug

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