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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: board · leaves · object · rush · wound · perch · saw · hand

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. hand — in cards
  4. object — an aim
  5. saw — the tool
  6. hand — help
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. board — to get on
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. saw — the tool
  12. perch — the fish
  13. object — to protest
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. object — a thing
  16. rush — hurry
  17. wound — an injury
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. wound — an injury

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