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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. object — to protest
  5. drill — the tool
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. present — there
  9. object — a thing
  10. rest — a break
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. present — a gift
  14. tear — to rip
  15. present — the time now
  16. tear — from crying
  17. board — a committee
  18. tear — from crying
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rest — what's left
  21. branch — a division
  22. rest — what's left
  23. object — an aim
  24. mine — for digging

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