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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. firm — steady
  3. spring — a coil
  4. capital — money
  5. wound — an injury
  6. spring — the season
  7. capital — a city
  8. branch — a division
  9. swing — in golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. firm — a company
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. firm — decided
  15. swing — to play on
  16. spring — of water
  17. swing — music
  18. craft — a skill
  19. club — a group
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. club — for golf
  24. craft — boats

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