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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. face — to point toward
  4. saw — the tool
  5. board — a committee
  6. face — to confront
  7. rash — a series
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. squash — to crush
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. branch — a division
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bear — the animal
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — to bear
  19. bear — the animal
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. saw — the tool
  22. face — part of the head
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. stand — for spectators

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