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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: clip · chair · swing · safe · bay · spell · temple · branch

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. swing — music
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. swing — in golf
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. swing — to play on
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. spell — magic
  15. branch — a division
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. spell — a short time
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. clip — a video
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. temple — side of the head

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