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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: firm · tear · leaves · date · file · board · object · wound

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. firm — steady
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. firm — a company
  7. file — a document
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wound — an injury
  11. tear — from crying
  12. object — to protest
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. object — a thing
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. firm — decided
  18. date — the fruit
  19. board — a committee
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. object — an aim
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. tear — to rip

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