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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. field — for sport
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bank — for money
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. kid — child
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bank — for money
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. kid — to tease
  18. field — farmland
  19. bank — of a river
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. snap — to click
  22. board — a committee
  23. wake — a trail
  24. field — a subject

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