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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. club — for golf
  4. press — a publisher
  5. tear — from crying
  6. field — farmland
  7. tear — to rip
  8. press — to push
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bark — to shout
  11. field — for sport
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — a group
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. field — a subject
  23. bore — to drill
  24. board — a flat piece

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