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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: scale · branch · swing · fine · date · bowl · band · mug

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. swing — music
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. mug — a face
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. mug — a cup
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. band — a music group
  12. swing — to play on
  13. band — a ring
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. mug — to rob
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. scale — size or range

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