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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. rash — a series
  5. rush — hurry
  6. last — to go on
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. last — finally
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. last — final
  14. mine — for digging
  15. game — a match
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bank — for money
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bank — for money
  23. board — a committee
  24. bank — of a river

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