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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bound — certain
  5. pound — a weight
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. wound — an injury
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wound — an injury
  16. squash — the sport
  17. craft — a skill
  18. swing — music
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. branch — a division
  21. craft — boats
  22. swing — to play on
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. straw — dry grass

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