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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. ground — a position
  3. bound — certain
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. board — a committee
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — tied together
  8. mine — for digging
  9. board — to get on
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. ground — crushed
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. spell — a short time
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. spell — letters
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. ground — the earth
  20. branch — a division
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. spell — magic
  24. foot — a measure

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