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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — to get on
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. pop — soda
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. board — a committee
  11. tear — from crying
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pop — to visit
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. swing — music
  18. fork — in a road
  19. wound — an injury
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. swing — in golf
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pop — music

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