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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. row — a line
  4. branch — a division
  5. swing — to play on
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rest — what's left
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. rest — what's left
  15. band — a ring
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. rest — a break
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. band — a music group
  20. row — to paddle
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. pop — soda

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