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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: bound · face · branch · mine · swing · board · scale · deal

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. branch — a division
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. mine — for digging
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bound — tied together
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to confront
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. board — a committee
  15. scale — in music
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. board — to get on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bound — obliged
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. scale — size or range
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bound — certain

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