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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. march — the month
  3. rock — music
  4. march — music
  5. wax — to grow
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. swing — to play on
  12. rock — a stone
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. swing — music
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. march — the month
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. net — after costs
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. branch — a division

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