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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. board — a committee
  4. band — a music group
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. fine — high quality
  7. board — to get on
  8. toast — bread
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. squash — to crush
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. band — a ring
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. capital — a city
  21. squash — the sport
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. capital — money

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