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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 120 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: branch · drill · temple · kid · swing · wind · can · chest

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. swing — music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. can — to be able to
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. chest — a box
  9. can — a tin
  10. drill — army training
  11. chest — of your body
  12. kid — child
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wind — moving air
  15. branch — a division
  16. drill — the tool
  17. can — a tin
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. swing — to play on
  20. wind — moving air
  21. swing — in golf
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. kid — to tease
  24. branch — of a tree

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