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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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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: deal · bore · key · cold · board · wind · stem · wave

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. deal — to handle
  4. wind — moving air
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. wind — moving air
  9. key — in music
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. key — the most important part
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cold — an illness
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. stem — to come from
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bore — to drill

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