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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wind — moving air
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. club — for dancing
  6. drill — a practice
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. roll — a list
  9. club — for golf
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. roll — a cake
  13. rush — hurry
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. drill — army training
  16. board — to get on
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. board — a committee
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. club — a group
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. drill — the tool
  24. branch — a division

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