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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: file · branch · snap · wave · board · lie · drill · charge

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. board — a committee
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. drill — the tool
  5. board — to get on
  6. charge — electricity
  7. file — a tool
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. drill — army training
  11. branch — a division
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. file — a document
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. snap — to click
  16. lie — to recline
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. charge — in control
  20. drill — a practice
  21. file — a line of people
  22. charge — a price
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. lie — an untruth

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