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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. cap — a hat
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. spring — the season
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. spring — of water
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. swing — to play on
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. swing — in golf
  15. vault — a safe
  16. dip — to sink
  17. cap — a lid
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. spring — a coil
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. branch — a division
  24. cap — of ice

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