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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: nail · clip · field · branch · rash · swing · board · bear

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. rash — a series
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bear — the animal
  6. clip — to cut
  7. swing — music
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bear — the animal
  10. field — for sport
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. field — a subject
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. swing — in golf
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. board — a committee
  20. swing — to play on
  21. branch — a division
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. field — farmland

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