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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. mate — a partner
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — electric
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rash — hasty
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. board — a committee
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bark — to shout
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rash — a series
  15. mate — to breed
  16. drill — army training
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. current — of water
  20. squash — the sport
  21. drill — the tool
  22. branch — a division
  23. board — to get on
  24. drill — a practice

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