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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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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: wound · fan · ground · arm · board · vault · bat · nail

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. ground — crushed
  5. board — to get on
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wound — an injury
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bat — the animal
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. ground — the earth
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. ground — a position
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. board — a flat piece

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