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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: cell · trunk · branch · fall · capital · saw · deal · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. capital — money
  6. fall — to drop
  7. capital — a city
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. board — a committee
  11. deal — to handle
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. cell — a phone
  14. branch — a division
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. cell — in biology
  18. fall — the season
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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