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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: mark · trunk · band · date · branch · dip · last · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a trace
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. last — finally
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mark — a grade
  11. band — a ring
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. last — final
  14. band — a music group
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. board — to get on
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. last — to go on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. date — the fruit

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