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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · tear · board · face · pound · coach

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. tear — to rip
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. tear — from crying
  8. face — to point toward
  9. deal — to handle
  10. face — to confront
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. board — a committee
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. face — part of the head
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. pound — a weight

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