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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. roll — a cake
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fine — all right
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tear — from crying
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — thin
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. roll — a list
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. board — to get on
  18. tear — to rip
  19. wound — an injury
  20. board — a committee
  21. fine — high quality
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. roll — on a roll

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