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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 120 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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. wake — a trail
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. club — a group
  5. clip — for paper
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. shower — rain
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. club — for golf
  15. bark — to shout
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. board — to get on
  19. clip — a video
  20. board — a committee
  21. clip — to cut
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rest — what's left

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