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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. degree — from a university
  3. firm — a company
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — to play on
  6. board — a committee
  7. degree — an amount
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. board — to get on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. firm — steady
  14. degree — temperature
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. kick — in football
  18. firm — decided
  19. band — a music group
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. band — a ring
  23. branch — a division
  24. kick — a thrill

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