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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. board — a committee
  10. wound — an injury
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bark — to shout
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. plane — a tool
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. saw — the tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  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