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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 120 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. swing — music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. spell — a short time
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bass — the fish
  16. fall — to drop
  17. branch — a division
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bass — low music
  20. mine — for digging
  21. spell — magic
  22. fall — the season
  23. swing — in golf
  24. branch — of a bank

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