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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 · wave · bank · face · present · row · hand · wound

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. face — part of the head
  5. row — a line
  6. wound — an injury
  7. face — to confront
  8. row — to paddle
  9. hand — help
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — to get on
  12. present — there
  13. hand — in cards
  14. present — the time now
  15. bank — for money
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bank — for money
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wound — an injury
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. bank — of a river
  24. wave — with your hand

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