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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. board — to get on
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. mate — a partner
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pound — a weight
  10. wound — an injury
  11. board — a committee
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wound — an injury
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. tear — to rip
  22. staff — employees
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pound — for dogs

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