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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: bay · chest · swing · content · mine · bulb · bowl · branch

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. content — the amount
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. swing — to play on
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. chest — of your body
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. chest — a box
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. branch — a division
  23. chest — of your body
  24. swing — music

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