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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. bank — of a river
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. net — for catching
  10. mate — to breed
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bank — for money
  13. board — a committee
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. mate — a friend
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. net — in sport
  18. mate — a partner
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bank — for money
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — to get on

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