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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. branch — a division
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. bear — the animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. swing — in golf
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. swing — to play on
  16. scale — size or range
  17. prune — to trim
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. scale — in music
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. bear — the animal

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