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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. mark — a grade
  4. swing — music
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. branch — a division
  8. mark — a trace
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. prune — to trim
  13. capital — money
  14. spell — a short time
  15. swing — in golf
  16. capital — a city
  17. spell — magic
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. spell — letters
  22. prune — to trim
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. swing — to play on

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