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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 116 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. board — a committee
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — a contest
  8. snap — to click
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. track — a path
  12. saw — the tool
  13. race — the arms race
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. board — to get on
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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