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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. board — to get on
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. cold — not warm
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. branch — a division
  12. spell — magic
  13. board — a committee
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — in music
  16. cold — an illness
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — decided
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. spell — letters
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wind — moving air
  24. key — for a lock

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