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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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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bank — for money
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. sharp — clever
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. row — to paddle
  8. mark — a grade
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — a tool
  11. board — to get on
  12. mark — a trace
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. branch — a division
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bank — for money
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. row — a line

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