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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. board — to get on
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. land — a country
  10. drill — army training
  11. pound — a weight
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. drill — a practice
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a great time
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. board — a committee
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. board — a flat piece

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