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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: jam · branch · swing · club · hand · tear · stick · lie

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. club — a group
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. club — for dancing
  8. hand — in cards
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. hand — help
  14. branch — a division
  15. swing — to play on
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. club — for golf
  19. swing — music
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tear — from crying
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. lie — to recline

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