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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: toast · mark · current · board · bear · season · wound · hand

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. current — of water
  5. toast — bread
  6. board — a committee
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. hand — help
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bear — the animal
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bear — the animal
  19. current — happening now
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. current — electric
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. board — to get on
  24. mark — a grade

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