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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. board — a committee
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. wound — an injury
  8. season — of the year
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. swing — to play on
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. swing — music
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. branch — a division
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pound — a weight
  22. season — in sport
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. board — to get on

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