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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. file — a tool
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. board — a committee
  8. plane — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. band — a ring
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. file — a line of people
  14. board — to get on
  15. branch — a division
  16. sharp — clever
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. perch — the fish
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. band — a music group
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. sharp — with an edge

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