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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: branch · present · jam · fork · wound · swing · pop · game

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. branch — a division
  6. wound — an injury
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. fork — in a road
  10. swing — to play on
  11. pop — to visit
  12. swing — in golf
  13. game — a match
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wound — an injury
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. pop — soda
  21. swing — music
  22. pop — music
  23. present — the time now
  24. game — wild animals

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