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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: bark · leaves · mark · pitcher · bay · branch · board · mine

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. board — to get on
  3. mark — a grade
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. board — a committee
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. branch — of a tree

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