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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: net · row · board · mug · pound · field · branch · cap

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. board — a committee
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mug — a cup
  8. net — for catching
  9. mug — a face
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. net — in sport
  16. cap — a lid
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — to get on
  19. pound — a weight
  20. mug — to rob
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. net — after costs
  23. field — for sport
  24. row — a line

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