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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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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: swing · branch · staff · spell · game · bank · lie · clip

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. staff — a stick
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bank — for money
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bank — for money
  7. spell — letters
  8. swing — music
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. swing — in golf
  11. branch — a division
  12. swing — to play on
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. lie — to recline
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. spell — magic
  19. clip — to cut
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bank — of a river
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. game — a match

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