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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. board — a committee
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. board — to get on
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bore — to drill
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. hand — help
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bore — to tire
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. land — ground

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