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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. shower — to wash
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. swing — to play on
  9. shower — rain
  10. last — finally
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. last — final
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — a tool
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mate — a friend
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. swing — music
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. last — to go on
  24. branch — a division

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