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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. track — to keep track
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. wake — a trail
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. board — a committee
  21. track — a song
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. track — a path
  24. branch — a division

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