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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 116 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. swing — to play on
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. content — the amount
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. tube — the underground
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. march — music
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. march — the month
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. branch — a division
  23. content — happy
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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