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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. mate — a friend
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. board — a committee
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. game — wild animals
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. last — finally
  12. swing — to play on
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mate — a partner
  15. board — to get on
  16. swing — music
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mate — to breed
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a tree

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