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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. swing — to play on
  4. spring — of water
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. swing — music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. pop — soda
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — humankind
  14. spring — a coil
  15. branch — a division
  16. drill — a practice
  17. swing — in golf
  18. spring — the season
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pop — music
  21. drill — army training
  22. race — a contest
  23. scale — in music
  24. branch — of a bank

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