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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 · mine · swing · degree · bowl · pop · band · branch

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. pop — music
  2. can — a tin
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pop — soda
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. swing — in golf
  11. band — a music group
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pop — to visit
  15. degree — from a university
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. branch — a division
  21. band — a ring
  22. swing — music
  23. degree — an amount
  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