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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 124 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. board — to get on
  3. bank — for money
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. ground — the earth
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. swing — to play on
  9. band — a ring
  10. mark — a trace
  11. game — a match
  12. bank — for money
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mark — a grade
  16. board — a committee
  17. swing — in golf
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ground — a position
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bank — of a river
  22. swing — music
  23. ground — crushed
  24. band — a music group

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