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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. board — a committee
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. swing — in golf
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. prune — to trim
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. deal — to handle
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. swing — to play on
  11. stock — goods
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. branch — a division
  14. board — to get on
  15. prune — to trim
  16. swing — music
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stock — shares
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  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