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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: object · arm · board · wake · branch · rush · nail · band

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. board — a committee
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. board — to get on
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. band — a music group
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. wake — a trail
  13. band — a ring
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. object — to protest
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rush — hurry
  18. branch — a division
  19. object — a thing
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. object — an aim
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. nail — for a hammer

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