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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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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — to bear
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. board — to get on
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. rash — a series
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. face — part of the head
  12. board — a committee
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. face — to confront
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. face — to point toward
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. net — in sport
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. branch — a division
  24. wave — with your hand

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