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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. wound — an injury
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. spring — of water
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. board — to get on
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. suit — in cards
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. spring — the season
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. last — finally
  18. suit — clothes
  19. wound — an injury
  20. last — to go on
  21. board — a committee
  22. rash — a series
  23. suit — to fit
  24. last — final

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