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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. dip — to sink
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — to get on
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rash — a series
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. perch — the fish
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. branch — a division
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rash — hasty
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. dip — a sauce

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