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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — to paddle
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. file — a tool
  8. object — a thing
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. object — an aim
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. wound — an injury
  20. object — to protest
  21. wound — an injury
  22. file — a document
  23. bark — to shout
  24. board — to get on

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