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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. drill — the tool
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. branch — a division
  6. rock — music
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. current — of water
  9. cold — not warm
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. current — happening now
  13. rock — a stone
  14. foot — a measure
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. drill — a practice
  21. current — electric
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. swing — to play on
  24. drill — army training

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