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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. chest — of your body
  4. net — after costs
  5. chest — a box
  6. pop — to visit
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. row — a line
  10. suit — clothes
  11. chest — of your body
  12. branch — a division
  13. pop — soda
  14. net — in sport
  15. swing — in golf
  16. suit — to fit
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. net — for catching
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. row — to paddle
  22. suit — in cards
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — music

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