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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. branch — a division
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. swing — music
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wound — an injury
  7. net — after costs
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. wound — an injury
  13. net — in sport
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. swing — in golf
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. capital — a city
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. net — for catching
  23. capital — money
  24. swing — to play on

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