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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. land — to come down
  3. swing — in golf
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. kick — in football
  6. mate — to breed
  7. land — ground
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — to get on
  10. wake — a trail
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. drill — army training
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. land — a country
  16. mate — a friend
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mate — a partner
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. drill — a practice
  21. swing — music
  22. branch — a division
  23. swing — to play on
  24. drill — the tool

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