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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. swing — in golf
  3. content — the amount
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. craft — a skill
  10. swing — music
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. content — happy
  15. craft — boats
  16. chest — a box
  17. swing — to play on
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. chest — of your body
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. foot — a measure
  22. plane — a tool
  23. foot — the bottom
  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