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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. clip — to cut
  3. board — to get on
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. shower — rain
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. foot — a measure
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — a division
  20. clip — a video
  21. shower — to wash
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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