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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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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. board — a committee
  3. branch — a division
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. hand — help
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. hand — in cards
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. board — to get on
  18. drill — army training

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