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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: pitcher · branch · rest · bay · race · swing · pass · wound

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rest — a break
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. branch — a division
  14. race — humankind
  15. wound — an injury
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. race — a contest
  21. rest — what's left
  22. swing — music
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. pass — a permit

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