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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: fine · wave · tube · cold · race · leaves · board · branch

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. tube — a container
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. race — the arms race
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. branch — a division
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. race — humankind
  15. cold — an illness
  16. fine — all right
  17. tube — the underground
  18. board — to get on
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. race — a contest
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. leaves — of a tree

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