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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: game · object · spell · board · branch · nail · swing · wound

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. swing — to play on
  3. branch — a division
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. board — a committee
  6. object — a thing
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. spell — a short time
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. swing — music
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. board — to get on
  15. spell — magic
  16. object — to protest
  17. spell — letters
  18. swing — in golf
  19. wound — an injury
  20. object — an aim
  21. wound — an injury
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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