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

Word bank: hand · branch · cue · wind · swing · rock · tear · racket

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. wind — moving air
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. swing — in golf
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. hand — help
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. branch — a division
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cue — a hint
  13. wind — moving air
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. swing — music
  18. cue — for pool
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rock — a stone
  22. swing — to play on
  23. rock — music
  24. cue — a signal

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