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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. squash — the sport
  7. rush — hurry
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — a thing
  11. field — farmland
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. swing — music
  19. squash — to crush
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — in golf
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pop — soda
  24. rush — to hurry

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