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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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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: bowl · board · hand · squash · lie · coach · last · branch

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. squash — to crush
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. lie — to recline
  6. branch — a division
  7. squash — the sport
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. board — to get on
  12. last — to go on
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. hand — help
  16. board — a committee
  17. last — finally
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. hand — in cards
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. branch — of a bank

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