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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. fall — the season
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. capital — a city
  6. pop — music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fine — high quality
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. board — to get on
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fine — all right
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pop — soda
  18. branch — a division
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. capital — money
  22. pop — to visit
  23. board — a committee
  24. arm — part of the body

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