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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. swing — to play on
  4. spell — letters
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. chest — a box
  8. kid — child
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. chest — of your body
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. swing — in golf
  13. kid — to tease
  14. spell — magic
  15. swing — music
  16. chest — of your body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. foot — a measure
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. temple — a place of worship

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