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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. current — happening now
  3. swing — to play on
  4. chest — a box
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. swing — music
  8. current — of water
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chest — of your body
  11. swing — in golf
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. root — of a word
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. root — of a plant
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. root — the cause
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pound — a weight
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. current — electric
  24. lash — to lash out

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