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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lean — thin
  4. hand — in cards
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. net — in sport
  7. can — a tin
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cap — a hat
  10. board — a committee
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. net — after costs
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lean — to bend
  22. can — a tin
  23. net — for catching
  24. hand — help

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