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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. season — in sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bore — to tire
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. shower — to wash
  7. swing — to play on
  8. ground — a position
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pop — to visit
  11. swing — in golf
  12. season — of the year
  13. wind — moving air
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wind — moving air
  19. swing — music
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pop — soda
  22. shower — rain
  23. bore — to drill
  24. branch — a division

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