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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: rest · branch · swing · firm · rock · content · deal · tear

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. swing — in golf
  4. deal — to handle
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. tear — from crying
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. swing — music
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. content — the amount
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. content — happy
  14. rock — a stone
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rest — what's left
  18. firm — steady
  19. tear — to rip
  20. branch — a division
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. swing — to play on
  24. firm — a company

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