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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: lean · kick · wound · board · club · bore · ground · squash

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. squash — the sport
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. wound — an injury
  5. squash — to crush
  6. board — to get on
  7. bore — to drill
  8. lean — thin
  9. bore — to tire
  10. club — for dancing
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ground — the earth
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. kick — in football
  22. lean — to bend
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — a group

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