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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · fine · arm · branch · rash · wound · cabinet · tube

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. branch — a division
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rash — a series
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. swing — to play on
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tube — the underground
  18. swing — music
  19. tube — a container
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. swing — in golf
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wound — an injury

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