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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: lash · wave · bound · clip · bark · capital · game · board

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. board — to get on
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bound — certain
  11. bark — to shout
  12. clip — a video
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. board — a committee
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bound — tied together
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — money
  24. game — a match

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