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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 116 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: cold · bowl · mouse · swing · last · branch · fine · present

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. branch — of a bank
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. fine — high quality
  4. last — to go on
  5. cold — not warm
  6. present — the time now
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. last — finally
  11. present — there
  12. fine — all right
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. present — a gift
  16. last — final
  17. swing — to play on
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. branch — a division
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. swing — music
  23. cold — an illness
  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