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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. saw — the tool
  3. swing — to play on
  4. spring — a coil
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. swing — music
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. spring — the season
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bass — low music
  14. chair — a leader
  15. branch — a division
  16. bat — the animal
  17. scale — in music
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. scale — size or range
  20. spring — of water
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bass — the fish
  24. saw — the tool

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