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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: board · cap · foot · tear · jam · leaves · wound · row

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. wound — an injury
  3. foot — a measure
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. row — a line
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. cap — of ice
  9. board — a committee
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. tear — from crying
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. row — to paddle
  16. tear — from crying
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cap — a hat
  21. tear — to rip
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. board — to get on
  24. row — a quarrel

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