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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · branch · file · fan · drill · stock · board · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. drill — the tool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. can — to be able to
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. branch — a division
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stock — shares
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. board — to get on
  14. can — a tin
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — goods
  17. can — a tin
  18. file — a line of people
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — a practice
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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