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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. wound — an injury
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. band — a music group
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. swing — in golf
  12. band — a ring
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. branch — a division
  15. swing — to play on
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. swing — music
  24. wound — an injury

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