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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: can · mouse · game · saw · bank · swing · rash · mine

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bank — of a river
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. can — to be able to
  6. swing — in golf
  7. saw — the tool
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. can — a tin
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rash — hasty
  16. can — a tin
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bank — for money
  19. game — a match
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rash — a series
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. swing — music
  24. bank — for money

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