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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 120 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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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: cell · last · wound · fork · pound · bass · dip · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. board — a committee
  5. last — finally
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. last — final
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. last — to go on
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bass — low music
  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