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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: mine · rock · row · swing · ruler · bowl · game · branch

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. game — a kind of play
  2. swing — to play on
  3. branch — a division
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. game — a match
  8. rock — music
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. row — a line
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. swing — music
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. game — wild animals
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. row — to paddle
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rock — a stone
  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