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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 120 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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ball — a great time
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mug — a cup
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. swing — to play on
  8. chest — a box
  9. stand — to bear
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. swing — music
  12. file — a line of people
  13. mug — a face
  14. swing — in golf
  15. spring — the season
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. spring — a coil
  18. file — a tool
  19. branch — a division
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. ball — a dance
  22. file — a document
  23. spring — of water
  24. mug — to rob

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