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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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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 · wound · wind · ruler · face · march · nail · arm

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. march — music
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wind — moving air
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. wound — an injury
  10. face — to point toward
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wound — an injury
  13. board — a committee
  14. march — the month
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. march — the month
  19. face — to confront
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. board — to get on
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. face — part of the head

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