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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 · land · branch · swing · roll · squash · patient · board

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. branch — a division
  3. roll — a cake
  4. board — to get on
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. squash — the sport
  7. swing — music
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — a committee
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. roll — a list
  12. land — ground
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. swing — in golf
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rule — a law
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. land — a country
  20. swing — to play on
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. squash — to crush
  24. rule — government

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