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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 116 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. swing — music
  3. rash — hasty
  4. swing — in golf
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rash — a series
  9. stock — shares
  10. prune — to trim
  11. net — for catching
  12. branch — a division
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stock — goods
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. net — after costs

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