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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: rule · band · game · swing · lie · branch · straw · season

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. band — a ring
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. season — of the year
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. branch — a division
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. game — a match
  13. band — a music group
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rule — government
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. swing — in golf
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. swing — to play on
  21. season — in sport
  22. game — wild animals
  23. lie — to recline
  24. rule — a law

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