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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bark — to shout
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. cap — a hat
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lie — to recline
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. board — to get on
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. board — a committee
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stand — to bear
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. branch — a division
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bark — of a tree

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