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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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Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. board — a committee
  3. swing — to play on
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. swing — music
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. board — to get on
  10. wound — an injury
  11. branch — a division
  12. season — in sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pit — a hole
  16. craft — a skill
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. swing — in golf
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. season — of the year
  21. craft — boats
  22. pit — in a race
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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