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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: wind · branch · stem · present · rush · ball · board · bore

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. board — a committee
  3. ball — a great time
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bore — to tire
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. present — there
  14. branch — a division
  15. present — a gift
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — to come from
  21. present — the time now
  22. board — to get on
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wind — moving air

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