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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 116 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. branch — a division
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. wind — moving air
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. rest — what's left
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wind — moving air
  15. board — a committee
  16. dip — to sink
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. board — to get on
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wind — to turn a key

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