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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. chest — a box
  3. bulb — for light
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. board — a committee
  7. last — final
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. branch — a division
  10. rest — what's left
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. rest — what's left
  14. last — finally
  15. chest — of your body
  16. last — to go on
  17. board — to get on
  18. rest — a break
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bulb — for light
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. chest — of your body
  23. track — a path
  24. branch — of a tree

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