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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. root — of a plant
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. root — of a word
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wind — moving air
  10. kid — child
  11. board — a committee
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bound — certain
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — to tease
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. root — the cause
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wind — moving air

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