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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 116 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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. swing — music
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bank — for money
  7. suit — to fit
  8. branch — a division
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. swing — to play on
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. content — the amount
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. swing — in golf
  19. suit — in cards
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. content — happy
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. pitcher — a jug

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