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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: wound · mine · bore · rash · cap · lie · squash · board

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. squash — the sport
  3. lie — to recline
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bore — to drill
  6. board — to get on
  7. bore — to tire
  8. cap — of ice
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. cap — a hat
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. board — a committee
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wound — an injury
  24. squash — the vegetable

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