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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: land · band · squash · lash · plane · branch · sharp · board

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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. branch — a division
  2. plane — a tool
  3. band — a music group
  4. sharp — clever
  5. land — ground
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. board — a committee
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. land — to come down
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. squash — to crush
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. band — a ring
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. land — a country
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. squash — the sport
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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