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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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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 · wound · lash · cold · content · object · saw · cap

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. cold — an illness
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cap — a lid
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. object — to protest
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. cold — not warm
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. object — an aim
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. board — to get on
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cap — of ice
  20. object — a thing
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. cap — a hat
  24. content — happy

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