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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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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: swing · branch · squash · row · cell · net · stand · present

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. present — the time now
  4. net — in sport
  5. swing — in golf
  6. row — a line
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. stand — to bear
  10. present — a gift
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. net — after costs
  16. squash — the sport
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. net — for catching
  21. cell — a phone
  22. branch — a division
  23. squash — to crush
  24. present — there

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