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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. shower — to wash
  3. saw — the tool
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. club — a group
  6. pop — to visit
  7. shower — rain
  8. saw — the tool
  9. club — for dancing
  10. board — a committee
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pop — music
  15. chair — a leader
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. board — to get on
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pop — soda
  21. club — for golf
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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