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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. game — a match
  3. bank — of a river
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. spring — a coil
  12. board — to get on
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bank — for money
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. bat — the animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. board — a committee
  22. bank — for money
  23. bark — to shout
  24. calf — a young animal

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