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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. last — to go on
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — to get on
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. hand — in cards
  9. branch — a division
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. board — a committee
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. last — final
  16. last — finally
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bark — to shout
  20. wound — an injury
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. wound — an injury

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