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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bulb — for light
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — a face
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. lie — to recline
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cell — a phone
  11. swing — to play on
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cell — in biology
  14. kid — to tease
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. mug — to rob
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. swing — music
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bulb — for light
  23. branch — a division
  24. lie — an untruth

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