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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 · wound · straw · game · wind · shower · bay · rush

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. shower — rain
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. board — to get on
  8. wind — moving air
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. shower — to wash
  19. board — a committee
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wound — an injury
  22. game — a match
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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