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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. branch — a division
  3. cell — in biology
  4. board — a committee
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. swing — music
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. mark — a trace
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. swing — to play on
  12. field — farmland
  13. cell — a phone
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. field — for sport
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. board — to get on
  20. mark — a grade
  21. field — a subject
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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