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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 116 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: deal · pop · straw · calf · cell · swing · branch · hide

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pop — music
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. branch — a division
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. deal — to handle
  18. pop — soda
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. cell — in biology
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. cell — a phone
  24. branch — of a bank

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