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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 120 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. last — final
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — army training
  10. branch — a division
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. last — to go on
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. last — finally
  15. board — a committee
  16. band — a music group
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. band — a ring
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. drill — a practice
  24. wake — a trail

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