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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: row · suit · board · staff · wound · drill · cold · branch

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. staff — employees
  4. suit — in cards
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wound — an injury
  7. board — to get on
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. drill — army training
  10. board — a committee
  11. suit — to fit
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cold — an illness
  14. row — to paddle
  15. staff — employees
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cold — not warm
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. branch — a division
  20. suit — clothes
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. row — a line

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