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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: swing · stand · current · branch · cap · club · roll · chest

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. cap — a hat
  3. swing — in golf
  4. current — electric
  5. roll — a cake
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. roll — a list
  8. current — happening now
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. cap — of ice
  11. club — for dancing
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. swing — music
  15. branch — a division
  16. current — of water
  17. chest — of your body
  18. club — for golf
  19. cap — a lid
  20. club — a group
  21. swing — to play on
  22. stand — to bear
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. roll — on a roll

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