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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. file — a tool
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mate — to breed
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. craft — boats
  9. pop — soda
  10. swing — music
  11. rest — what's left
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mate — a friend
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rest — a break
  16. craft — a skill
  17. perch — the fish
  18. swing — to play on
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. mate — a partner
  22. file — a document
  23. rest — what's left
  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