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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 120 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. key — in music
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bear — the animal
  6. board — to get on
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. band — a ring
  9. key — for a lock
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bear — the animal
  12. root — of a plant
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. root — the cause
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. fork — in a road
  17. root — of a word
  18. branch — a division
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. band — a music group
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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