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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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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: wave · board · bat · sharp · squash · branch · bound · pop

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pop — soda
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bound — tied together
  6. branch — a division
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pop — music
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. board — to get on
  13. bound — certain
  14. board — a committee
  15. squash — the sport
  16. pop — to visit
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bat — the animal
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. bound — obliged
  24. branch — of a tree

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