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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. squash — to crush
  4. band — a music group
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bound — certain
  11. swing — in golf
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. band — a ring
  14. bank — for money
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. mine — for digging
  18. squash — the sport
  19. branch — a division
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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