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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — a trail
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. pound — a weight
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. file — a tool
  9. bound — tied together
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — part of the head
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bound — certain
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. kick — in football
  18. file — a document
  19. board — to get on
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bound — obliged
  22. board — a committee
  23. branch — a division
  24. file — a line of people

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