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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 116 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: wound · saw · kid · board · rest · bowl · squash · nail

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. rest — a break
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rest — what's left
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. board — to get on
  13. rest — what's left
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. saw — the tool
  17. board — a committee
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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