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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. plane — a tool
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. board — a committee
  7. wound — an injury
  8. last — final
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rest — a break
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. board — to get on
  19. last — finally
  20. branch — a division
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. last — to go 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