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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: wound · cabinet · spring · board · chest · bark · squash · march

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. chest — of your body
  4. march — the month
  5. bark — to shout
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wound — an injury
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. spring — of water
  11. march — the month
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. spring — the season
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. march — music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chest — a box
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. squash — to crush
  21. chest — of your body
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — to get on
  24. squash — the sport

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