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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: capital · ground · board · rush · trunk · rock · snap · wound

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wound — an injury
  4. board — a committee
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. snap — to click
  8. rock — music
  9. rush — hurry
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. capital — money
  14. board — to get on
  15. ground — the earth
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. rock — a stone
  20. capital — a city
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wound — an injury

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