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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. board — to get on
  3. fall — to drop
  4. can — a tin
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rush — hurry
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. branch — a division
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. can — a tin
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. board — a committee
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. fall — the season
  24. pound — a weight

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