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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. object — a thing
  7. wake — a trail
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. object — to protest
  12. spring — a coil
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. branch — a division
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. board — a committee
  20. object — an aim
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. mouse — the animal

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