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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. court — of a king
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pound — a weight
  6. tear — from crying
  7. swing — in golf
  8. tube — the underground
  9. branch — a division
  10. swing — music
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. kick — in football
  13. court — of law
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. court — for sport
  17. tube — a container
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. tear — from crying
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. pound — for dogs

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