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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. march — the month
  8. board — to get on
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. land — a country
  11. march — music
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. board — a committee
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. land — ground
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. march — the month
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. land — to come down

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