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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. lean — to bend
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bear — the animal
  7. game — wild animals
  8. board — a committee
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bear — the animal
  14. game — a match
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — thin
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. can — a tin
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. board — to get on

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