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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: game · branch · board · fine · fan · track · shower · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. fine — all right
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. track — a song
  8. game — a match
  9. shower — to wash
  10. branch — a division
  11. track — to keep track
  12. fine — high quality
  13. board — to get on
  14. game — wild animals
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. board — a committee
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. shower — rain
  24. track — a path

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