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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: staff · bark · cell · board · stick · wound · wave · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. staff — employees
  7. cell — a phone
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. cell — in biology
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. board — to get on
  22. wound — an injury
  23. board — a committee
  24. staff — employees

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