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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. band — a music group
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. board — to get on
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. squash — the sport
  20. chip — for betting
  21. band — a ring
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bark — to shout

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