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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: lie · game · board · rest · spell · mine · branch · bore

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bore — to tire
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. board — to get on
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rest — a break
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. board — a committee
  12. spell — a short time
  13. game — a match
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. spell — magic
  17. branch — a division
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bore — to drill
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mine — an explosive

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