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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: bulb · wound · row · fine · board · stick · snap · mine

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — to paddle
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. wound — an injury
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. board — to get on
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wound — an injury
  14. row — a line
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fine — high quality
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fine — all right
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. board — a committee
  23. bulb — for light
  24. snap — to click

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