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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 116 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: board · branch · saw · shower · rush · face · wound · stock

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. face — to confront
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wound — an injury
  7. branch — a division
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wound — an injury
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. face — part of the head
  13. stock — goods
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. rush — hurry
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. shower — rain
  19. stock — shares
  20. board — to get on
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. face — to point toward
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. rush — a thrill

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