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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: swing · mine · bulb · perch · bass · game · branch · face

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bulb — for light
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. face — to point toward
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bass — the fish
  13. swing — music
  14. branch — a division
  15. perch — the fish
  16. game — a match
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. face — part of the head
  20. game — wild animals
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. face — to confront
  23. bass — low music
  24. bulb — for light

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