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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. land — ground
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. board — a committee
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rock — music
  14. wound — an injury
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cap — a hat
  18. board — to get on
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bass — low music
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

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