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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. swing — music
  4. face — to point toward
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. branch — a division
  11. march — the month
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. face — to confront
  14. wake — a trail
  15. march — the month
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. swing — in golf
  20. march — music
  21. face — part of the head
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pitch — completely
  24. mine — for digging

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