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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · file · saw · march · board · branch · chip · bowl

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chip — for betting
  9. board — a committee
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. branch — a division
  13. file — a document
  14. march — music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. march — the month
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. mine — for digging
  20. file — a line of people
  21. march — the month
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. file — a tool

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