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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. suit — in cards
  3. court — of law
  4. can — a tin
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. can — to be able to
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. can — a tin
  11. tear — from crying
  12. club — for dancing
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — a group
  17. court — of a king
  18. swing — music
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. suit — to fit
  21. tear — to rip
  22. suit — clothes
  23. swing — in golf
  24. court — for sport

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