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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: patient · squash · board · wind · net · lie · kick · wound

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. board — to get on
  3. wound — an injury
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. squash — to crush
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. board — a committee
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. kick — in football
  16. net — in sport
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wind — moving air
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. net — after costs
  24. patient — a sick person

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