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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mine — for digging
  7. scale — size or range
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. wound — an injury
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. season — in sport
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. season — of the year
  21. branch — a division
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — a committee

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