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

Word bank: branch · nail · suit · pound · game · band · board · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. board — to get on
  4. branch — a division
  5. land — to come down
  6. suit — clothes
  7. land — a country
  8. board — a committee
  9. game — a match
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. game — wild animals
  16. suit — to fit
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. suit — in cards
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. band — a music group
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. band — a ring

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