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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. board — to get on
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. board — a committee
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. mate — a partner
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mate — to breed
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rash — a series
  24. wound — an injury

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