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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 116 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: lie · game · bank · band · club · tube · stem · swing

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. swing — in golf
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bank — for money
  5. tube — a container
  6. lie — to recline
  7. game — wild animals
  8. swing — music
  9. stem — to come from
  10. swing — to play on
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. club — a group
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. tube — the underground
  15. game — a match
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bank — of a river
  23. club — for golf
  24. band — a rubber band

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