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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. chip — to eat
  4. shower — to wash
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cell — a phone
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. branch — a division
  10. chip — for betting
  11. swing — to play on
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. cell — in biology
  14. swing — in golf
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. shower — rain
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. swing — music

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