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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: row · swing · racket · fall · arm · clip · rest · branch

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. swing — to play on
  8. clip — a video
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fall — the season
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. row — a line
  15. clip — to cut
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. swing — in golf
  18. row — to paddle
  19. clip — for paper
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rest — a break
  24. row — a quarrel

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