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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: bowl · bulb · board · wind · rest · ground · lie · branch

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. board — a committee
  3. rest — a break
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. lie — to recline
  6. board — to get on
  7. rest — what's left
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. ground — the earth
  12. wind — moving air
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bulb — for light
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bulb — for light
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lie — an untruth

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