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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. tear — to rip
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. branch — a division
  10. ground — crushed
  11. row — a line
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. row — to paddle
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. date — the fruit
  21. swing — music
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. can — a tin
  24. row — a quarrel

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