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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 120 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cold — not warm
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — to get on
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. tear — to rip
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cold — an illness
  13. key — in music
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wound — an injury
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. key — the most important part
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. key — for a lock
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. cold — the Cold War

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