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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · row · jam · march · tube · branch · dip · kid

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. branch — a division
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. kid — to tease
  5. tube — the underground
  6. kid — child
  7. swing — in golf
  8. march — the month
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. row — to paddle
  11. march — music
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. swing — to play on
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. swing — music
  19. tube — a container
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. march — the month
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. dip — to sink

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