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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: fan · squash · pit · board · wound · nail · branch · march

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. board — to get on
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. march — the month
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. march — music
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pit — in a race
  16. march — the month
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. squash — the sport
  21. board — a committee
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pit — a hole
  24. wound — an injury

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