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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. swing — in golf
  3. mate — a partner
  4. rock — music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. swing — music
  7. bank — for money
  8. bass — low music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. rock — a stone
  11. field — a subject
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. field — for sport
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bass — the fish
  16. branch — a division
  17. mate — a friend
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. field — farmland
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bank — of a river
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mate — to breed

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