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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. board — a committee
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. board — to get on
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. ground — a position
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bark — to shout
  21. ground — crushed
  22. scale — in music
  23. ground — the earth
  24. scale — for weighing

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