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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bark — to shout
  4. swing — in golf
  5. land — to come down
  6. lean — to bend
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. land — a country
  9. drill — army training
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. swing — to play on
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. land — ground
  20. lean — thin
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the tool

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