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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. board — to get on
  4. bank — for money
  5. pound — a weight
  6. cold — an illness
  7. saw — the tool
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. cold — not warm
  13. branch — a division
  14. saw — the tool
  15. board — a committee
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bank — for money
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bank — of a river
  24. kick — with a leg

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