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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. board — a committee
  3. land — ground
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wound — an injury
  6. drill — army training
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. land — to come down
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mate — to breed
  12. land — a country
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. drill — the tool
  15. lean — thin
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mate — a partner
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bark — to shout
  20. board — to get on
  21. wound — an injury
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. mate — a friend
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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