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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. board — a committee
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bark — to shout
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. land — a country
  12. board — to get on
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bear — the animal
  16. land — to come down
  17. wind — moving air
  18. hand — help
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bear — the animal
  21. land — ground
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bear — to put up with

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