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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. tear — from crying
  4. perch — the fish
  5. swing — in golf
  6. shower — to wash
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. saw — the tool
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. swing — music
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. branch — a division
  16. chest — a box
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. tear — from crying
  19. swing — to play on
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. shower — rain
  23. tear — to rip
  24. saw — the tool

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