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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: court · pound · bark · safe · wake · bat · branch · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. board — a committee
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. branch — a division
  10. pound — a weight
  11. court — of law
  12. bark — to shout
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. court — for sport
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bat — the animal
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. court — of a king

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