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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. clip — for paper
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. squash — the sport
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. squash — to crush
  13. swing — in golf
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. branch — a division
  17. clip — a video
  18. scale — in music
  19. clip — to cut
  20. can — to be able to
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. shower — to wash
  24. can — a tin

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