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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. board — a committee
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. suit — clothes
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. band — a music group
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. board — to get on
  10. suit — to fit
  11. shower — rain
  12. bore — to tire
  13. band — a ring
  14. bore — to drill
  15. suit — in cards
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree

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