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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. spell — letters
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. kid — child
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. swing — to play on
  13. spell — magic
  14. branch — a division
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. squash — the sport
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. kid — to tease
  22. swing — music
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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