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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. board — to get on
  3. branch — a division
  4. board — a committee
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. band — a ring
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. face — to confront
  12. last — final
  13. face — to point toward
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. sharp — clever
  16. last — to go on
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pound — a weight
  19. last — finally
  20. band — a music group
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. face — part of the head

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