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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 120 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: suit · board · branch · game · fan · band · hand · snap

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. hand — in cards
  4. game — a match
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. branch — a division
  7. band — a music group
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. game — wild animals
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — to get on
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. snap — to click
  18. hand — help
  19. suit — to fit
  20. band — a ring
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. suit — clothes
  23. suit — in cards
  24. game — a kind of play

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