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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. branch — a division
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rash — a series
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — to play on
  14. board — to get on
  15. kid — child
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. kid — to tease
  24. board — a committee

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