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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. rush — hurry
  7. swing — music
  8. fork — in a road
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. charge — a price
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. drill — army training
  16. deal — to handle
  17. charge — electricity
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. branch — a division
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. charge — in control
  24. branch — of a tree

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