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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. band — a music group
  7. board — a committee
  8. row — a line
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. row — to paddle
  11. rash — a series
  12. band — a ring
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. rash — hasty
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. saw — the tool
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bound — tied together
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — obliged

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