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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: fine · board · mine · bark · cold · kick · wave · snap

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. snap — to click
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. cold — an illness
  13. fine — high quality
  14. board — a committee
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. fine — all right
  20. bark — to shout
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. cold — not warm
  24. kick — in football

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