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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 · march · pitcher · bore · deal · roll · bark · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — to get on
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bore — to drill
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bore — to tire
  8. march — the month
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. roll — a cake
  15. wound — an injury
  16. deal — to handle
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. roll — a list
  19. march — music
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bark — to shout
  24. march — the month

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