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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wound — an injury
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. band — a music group
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — a division
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. rock — a stone
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rock — music
  19. board — a committee
  20. mine — for digging
  21. board — to get on
  22. band — a ring
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rock — to move gently

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