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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. swing — in golf
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. branch — a division
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. swing — to play on
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. track — to keep track
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. swing — music
  18. track — a song
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. branch — of a tree

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