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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 116 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: stick · board · band · staff · pound · branch · bowl · degree

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. band — a music group
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. band — a ring
  9. degree — temperature
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. board — a committee
  14. staff — employees
  15. degree — from a university
  16. staff — employees
  17. pound — a weight
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — a division
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. board — to get on
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pound — to hit hard

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