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

Word bank: branch · swing · chair · game · jam · race · wave · wind

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. branch — a division
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. race — the arms race
  10. wind — moving air
  11. swing — to play on
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. swing — in golf
  14. chair — a leader
  15. race — humankind
  16. swing — music
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. game — a match
  24. branch — of a tree

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