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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. dip — to sink
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. wound — an injury
  8. field — a subject
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wound — an injury
  11. branch — a division
  12. current — happening now
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — to get on
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. current — electric
  18. field — farmland
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. field — for sport
  21. game — wild animals
  22. current — of water
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — a match

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