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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. wound — an injury
  3. season — of the year
  4. wound — an injury
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mate — a friend
  7. firm — decided
  8. board — to get on
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. firm — steady
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mate — to breed
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. firm — a company
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bank — for money
  18. board — a committee
  19. season — in sport
  20. bank — of a river
  21. shower — rain
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bank — for money
  24. nail — for a hammer

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