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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. perch — the fish
  3. shower — to wash
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. swing — in golf
  7. season — of the year
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. can — to be able to
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. can — a tin
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. branch — a division
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. swing — to play on
  20. can — a tin
  21. season — in sport
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. shower — rain
  24. stem — to come from

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