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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. band — a music group
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. band — a ring
  8. board — to get on
  9. object — a thing
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. board — a committee
  14. rock — a stone
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. object — to protest
  17. rock — music
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. object — an aim
  23. season — of the year
  24. rock — to move gently

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