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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. band — a ring
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. track — a path
  6. track — to keep track
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. swing — music
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — in golf
  13. branch — a division
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bark — to shout
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. band — a music group
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. vault — a safe
  23. track — a song
  24. band — a rubber band

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