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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 · branch · rash · rock · ball · clip · present · mark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. rock — a stone
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rock — music
  5. rash — hasty
  6. present — the time now
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. swing — music
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. swing — in golf
  12. mark — a trace
  13. present — there
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mark — a grade
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. present — a gift
  20. swing — to play on
  21. ball — a great time
  22. branch — a division
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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