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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: board · pitcher · rush · last · bark · branch · deal · game

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. last — finally
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. board — a committee
  11. game — a match
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. board — to get on
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. branch — a division
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bark — to shout

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