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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. sharp — clever
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. branch — a division
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bulb — for light
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. clip — for paper
  16. present — there
  17. present — a gift
  18. clip — to cut
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. clip — a video
  23. present — the time now
  24. bowl — a dish

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