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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: jam · lean · rash · saw · shower · field · swing · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. shower — to wash
  3. swing — music
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. swing — in golf
  6. saw — the tool
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — thin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. field — a subject
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — rain
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. rash — a series
  16. saw — the tool
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. field — farmland
  19. lean — to bend
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. field — for sport
  23. branch — of a bank
  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