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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: sharp · press · bat · wake · can · content · board · branch

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. content — the amount
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wake — a trail
  7. branch — a division
  8. press — newspapers
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. press — a publisher
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. can — a tin
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. can — a tin
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bat — the animal
  21. sharp — clever
  22. content — happy
  23. press — to push
  24. board — to get on

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