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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 124 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wound — an injury
  5. saw — the tool
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. board — a committee
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. band — a music group
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. board — to get on
  15. band — a ring
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bark — to shout
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. arm — part of the body

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