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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. branch — a division
  3. bear — the animal
  4. swing — in golf
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. row — to paddle
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bear — the animal
  12. swing — music
  13. cell — in biology
  14. spell — magic
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. spell — a short time
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cell — a phone
  21. spell — letters
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. row — a line
  24. row — a quarrel

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