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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. branch — a division
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bound — tied together
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. board — to get on
  12. rest — what's left
  13. land — ground
  14. board — a committee
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. land — a country
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rash — a series
  19. bound — certain
  20. rest — a break
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rash — hasty
  23. land — to come down
  24. bound — obliged

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