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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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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: wake · kick · march · chip · branch · prune · fine · swing

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. fine — high quality
  3. prune — to trim
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. swing — music
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. march — the month
  11. branch — a division
  12. march — music
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. march — the month
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. swing — in golf
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fine — all right
  22. kick — in football
  23. chip — for betting
  24. swing — to play on

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