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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 116 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: board · pass · wound · net · bound · lean · ground · rest

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. pass — a permit
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. ground — crushed
  10. board — to get on
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ground — a position
  16. net — in sport
  17. rest — a break
  18. lean — thin
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. net — after costs
  21. rest — what's left
  22. ground — the earth
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pass — to succeed

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