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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 120 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: tear · wave · ground · saw · bound · key · board · shower

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. key — for a lock
  3. saw — the tool
  4. shower — to wash
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. ground — a position
  7. tear — to rip
  8. key — in music
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. tear — from crying
  13. key — the most important part
  14. shower — rain
  15. ground — crushed
  16. board — to get on
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bound — obliged
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. saw — the tool
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bound — certain
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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