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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. swing — in golf
  3. branch — a division
  4. row — to paddle
  5. clip — to cut
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. clip — a video
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. squash — to crush
  11. last — to go on
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. swing — music
  14. row — a line
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. last — final
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bear — the animal
  20. last — finally
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. clip — for paper
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pitcher — a jug

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