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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 124 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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. board — a committee
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. clip — for paper
  8. race — the arms race
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. board — to get on
  11. face — part of the head
  12. clip — to cut
  13. face — to confront
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. wind — moving air
  16. clip — a video
  17. wind — moving air
  18. race — a contest
  19. face — to point toward
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. race — humankind
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. coach — a trainer

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