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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · hide · fork · squash · bat · board · spring · wave

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. spring — of water
  8. squash — the sport
  9. board — a committee
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. squash — to crush
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. spring — the season
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. land — to come down
  19. fork — in a road
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bat — the animal
  23. board — to get on
  24. land — a country

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