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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: rest · pop · bark · board · bulb · wound · last · rash

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. wound — an injury
  4. board — a committee
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. rest — a break
  7. last — to go on
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pop — music
  12. last — final
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. board — to get on
  21. rash — hasty
  22. last — finally
  23. pop — soda
  24. rash — a series

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