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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: chip · swing · last · bound · branch · ruler · band · lie

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. last — final
  3. band — a music group
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. branch — a division
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. swing — in golf
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. band — a ring
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. last — finally
  13. chip — for betting
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bound — tied together
  16. last — to go on
  17. lie — to recline
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bound — obliged
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bound — certain
  23. chip — to eat
  24. branch — of a tree

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