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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. rock — a stone
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. swing — music
  5. rock — music
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. swing — to play on
  18. branch — a division
  19. cold — not warm
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. tube — a container
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. tube — the underground

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