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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bass — low music
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. cap — of ice
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. lie — to recline
  8. branch — a division
  9. cap — a hat
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — a weight
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cap — a lid
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wound — an injury
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. board — a committee
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. board — to get on
  20. bass — the fish
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. branch — of a bank

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