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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. swing — in golf
  6. branch — a division
  7. roll — a list
  8. net — in sport
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. club — for golf
  11. swing — to play on
  12. cue — a signal
  13. roll — a cake
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. club — a group
  16. field — farmland
  17. net — after costs
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. stem — to come from
  20. field — a subject
  21. club — for dancing
  22. net — for catching
  23. field — for sport
  24. roll — on a roll

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