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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. branch — a division
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. degree — temperature
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. swing — to play on
  12. degree — an amount
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. season — of the year
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. degree — from a university
  18. spring — the season
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. lie — to recline

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