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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. suit — to fit
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bark — to shout
  5. club — a group
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. wound — an injury
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — to get on
  11. suit — in cards
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lean — thin
  17. club — for golf
  18. suit — clothes
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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