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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bank — for money
  4. swing — music
  5. branch — a division
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. fine — all right
  11. bank — for money
  12. swing — to play on
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. hand — help
  16. march — music
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fall — to drop
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. march — the month
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. march — the month
  24. swing — in golf

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