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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. row — to paddle
  8. board — to get on
  9. rash — hasty
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. track — a path
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. track — a song
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. track — to keep track
  18. board — a committee
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — the underground
  22. branch — a division
  23. row — a line
  24. rash — on the skin

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