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

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. craft — boats
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. file — a document
  5. bank — for money
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. file — a tool
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wound — an injury
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bank — for money
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bank — of a river
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. craft — a skill
  24. board — to get on

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