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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. content — the amount
  3. bass — the fish
  4. tear — from crying
  5. board — to get on
  6. cap — a lid
  7. tear — to rip
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. board — a committee
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cap — of ice
  13. branch — a division
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. tear — from crying
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cap — a hat
  19. content — happy
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bass — low music
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. saw — the tool
  24. content — videos and posts

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