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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. branch — a division
  6. swing — to play on
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. firm — a company
  11. date — the fruit
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. swing — in golf
  14. row — to paddle
  15. dip — to sink
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. row — a line
  18. pound — a weight
  19. firm — steady
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. swing — music
  24. pound — for dogs

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