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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · spell · land · cell · cabinet · dip · wound · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. board — a committee
  4. spell — magic
  5. cell — a phone
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wound — an injury
  8. dip — to sink
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. board — to get on
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. land — ground
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. land — a country
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bark — to shout
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. spell — letters
  21. wound — an injury
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. land — to come down
  24. board — a flat piece

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