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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: rock · march · patient · vault · swing · branch · pop · pitch

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. rock — music
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pitch — completely
  7. rock — a stone
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pop — music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. march — the month
  14. pop — to visit
  15. march — the month
  16. pop — soda
  17. march — music
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. swing — music
  21. branch — a division
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. branch — of a bank

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