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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. object — an aim
  3. branch — a division
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stock — goods
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. band — a music group
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stock — shares
  12. object — to protest
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. root — of a word
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. root — of a plant
  18. swing — to play on
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. root — the cause
  21. band — a ring
  22. swing — in golf
  23. object — a thing
  24. cell — in biology

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