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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. march — music
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. swing — in golf
  5. branch — a division
  6. vault — a safe
  7. lean — to bend
  8. march — the month
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. band — a ring
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. swing — music
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. band — a music group
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. march — the month
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. swing — to play on
  23. rash — hasty
  24. band — a rubber band

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