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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: safe · racket · degree · tear · lean · branch · swing · content

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. swing — in golf
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. content — happy
  7. tear — to rip
  8. content — the amount
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. swing — to play on
  13. lean — thin
  14. branch — a division
  15. degree — from a university
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — temperature
  20. swing — music
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. tear — from crying
  23. lean — to bend
  24. tear — from crying

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