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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a committee
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. tear — to rip
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wound — an injury
  10. root — of a word
  11. tear — from crying
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wound — an injury
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. perch — the fish
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. ball — a dance
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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