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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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. chest — of your body
  3. lie — to recline
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rest — a break
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bound — obliged
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. swing — to play on
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. swing — music
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. chest — a box
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fork — in a road
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bound — certain
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bound — tied together
  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