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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 124 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: game · bank · pitcher · swing · hide · board · branch · fall

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bank — for money
  3. board — a committee
  4. swing — in golf
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. board — to get on
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bank — of a river
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bank — for money
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. swing — to play on
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. fall — to drop
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. swing — music
  21. branch — a division
  22. game — a match
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. game — wild animals

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