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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wind — moving air
  5. craft — boats
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. swing — music
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bass — the fish
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bass — low music
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wind — moving air
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. rush — hurry
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — in a road
  24. swing — to play on

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