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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. board — a committee
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. band — a ring
  9. squash — to crush
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. wind — moving air
  12. squash — the sport
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. board — to get on
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. row — a line
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bulb — for light
  23. band — a music group
  24. wind — to turn a key

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