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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: coach · drill · wave · branch · pound · season · board · current

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. drill — army training
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. branch — a division
  8. current — electric
  9. board — to get on
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. drill — a practice
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. pound — a weight
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. board — a committee
  24. coach — a trainer

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