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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. swing — in golf
  4. stem — to come from
  5. board — to get on
  6. cell — a phone
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. branch — a division
  9. pound — a weight
  10. vault — a safe
  11. degree — temperature
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. swing — to play on
  16. degree — from a university
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. board — a committee
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. cell — in biology
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. degree — an amount

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