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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. hand — help
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. prune — to trim
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. hand — in cards
  10. face — part of the head
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. branch — a division
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. face — to point toward
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. vault — a safe
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. prune — to trim
  19. swing — to play on
  20. sharp — clever
  21. face — to confront
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. swing — music

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