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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. net — after costs
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. track — a path
  7. date — the fruit
  8. face — to confront
  9. board — to get on
  10. face — part of the head
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. net — for catching
  13. mine — for digging
  14. face — to point toward
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. net — in sport
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. branch — a division
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. track — a song
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. track — to keep track

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