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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. swing — in golf
  3. press — a publisher
  4. last — finally
  5. swing — music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. tear — from crying
  11. last — to go on
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. press — to push
  15. bass — the fish
  16. swing — to play on
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. bass — low music
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. last — final
  21. press — newspapers
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. date — on the calendar

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