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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mine · ground · cue · cabinet · bowl · branch · row

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. cue — a signal
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. row — a line
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. branch — a division
  9. ground — the earth
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. row — to paddle
  14. cue — a hint
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — music
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cue — for pool
  23. mine — for digging
  24. cabinet — ministers

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