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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 116 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. lean — to bend
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. object — to protest
  6. bat — the animal
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cue — for pool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cue — a hint
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. object — an aim
  17. wound — an injury
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. object — a thing
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — thin
  24. bat — in an idiom

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