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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. swing — in golf
  5. tear — from crying
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. shower — to wash
  8. saw — the tool
  9. charge — in control
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. branch — a division
  12. tear — from crying
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. charge — a price
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. tear — to rip
  20. shower — rain
  21. saw — the tool
  22. charge — electricity
  23. cold — not warm
  24. swing — music

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