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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: nail · hand · chest · bound · bark · sharp · board · rush

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — to get on
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. chest — of your body
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bark — to shout
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. chest — a box
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bound — obliged
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bound — certain
  20. board — a committee
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rush — to hurry

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