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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 120 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: club · mate · lean · bat · swing · branch · saw · object

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. object — a thing
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. club — for golf
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. club — a group
  7. swing — music
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. lean — thin
  10. object — to protest
  11. saw — the tool
  12. club — for dancing
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mate — to breed
  16. branch — a division
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mate — a friend
  19. saw — the tool
  20. object — an aim
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. lean — to bend
  24. swing — in golf

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