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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. tear — from crying
  5. board — a committee
  6. wake — a trail
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bound — certain
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. tear — from crying
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. spell — a short time
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bound — tied together
  18. hide — to keep secret

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