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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.

Make a worksheet

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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. can — a tin
  3. rest — a break
  4. swing — in golf
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. current — of water
  9. can — to be able to
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — electric
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. swing — music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. swing — to play on
  24. can — a tin

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