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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: branch · board · file · can · wake · mark · cold · pound

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. board — a committee
  3. branch — a division
  4. mark — a grade
  5. file — a line of people
  6. can — to be able to
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — not warm
  11. can — a tin
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. board — to get on
  19. can — a tin
  20. file — a document
  21. mark — a trace
  22. file — a tool
  23. wake — a trail
  24. board — a flat piece

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