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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: branch · cue · swing · tear · rash · net · pitcher · kick

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. swing — to play on
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — for pool
  6. swing — in golf
  7. rash — a series
  8. net — after costs
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. branch — a division
  14. rash — hasty
  15. net — in sport
  16. kick — in football
  17. net — for catching
  18. cue — a signal
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. tear — to rip
  23. swing — music
  24. pitcher — a jug

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