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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: lash · roll · pop · branch · shower · cold · firm · swing

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. cold — not warm
  3. swing — music
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. roll — a list
  7. shower — rain
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. firm — decided
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. firm — a company
  12. pop — to visit
  13. firm — steady
  14. roll — a cake
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. swing — to play on
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. swing — in golf
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. pop — soda
  24. shower — to wash

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