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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: file · board · fan · face · snap · kid · toast · branch

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. file — a line of people
  5. face — to point toward
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. branch — a division
  8. face — part of the head
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. kid — child
  12. snap — to click
  13. file — a tool
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. board — to get on
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. face — to confront
  20. kid — to tease
  21. file — a document
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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