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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 120 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: dip · board · ground · mate · net · temple · wound · branch

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wound — an injury
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — a committee
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. ground — crushed
  9. board — to get on
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. mate — to breed
  12. net — in sport
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to sink
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. branch — a division
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wound — an injury
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

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