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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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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: sharp · board · nail · wound · fall · mark · bark · root

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wound — an injury
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. sharp — clever
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. root — of a word
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. fall — to drop
  10. board — to get on
  11. fall — the season
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mark — a grade
  17. fall — to drop
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wound — an injury
  20. root — the cause
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mark — a trace
  24. board — a flat piece

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