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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. swing — music
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. swing — in golf
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. swing — to play on
  12. land — to come down
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. land — ground
  15. branch — a division
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. land — a country
  18. cell — in biology
  19. fork — in a road
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. fork — to eat with

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