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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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Word bank
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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: wound · pitcher · board · bass · tear · staff · rash · rock

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rash — hasty
  4. tear — to rip
  5. staff — employees
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. tear — from crying
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rock — a stone
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. board — a committee
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bass — low music
  19. rock — music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rash — a series
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. board — to get on

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