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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wound — an injury
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. face — to confront
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. face — part of the head
  11. board — to get on
  12. band — a music group
  13. saw — the tool
  14. board — a committee
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — a tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. branch — a division
  19. face — to point toward
  20. saw — the tool
  21. band — a ring
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rule — government
  24. plane — in geometry

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