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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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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: board · wake · sharp · wound · last · bowl · fall · bay

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fall — to drop
  3. sharp — clever
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fall — the season
  10. last — finally
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. last — to go on
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. fall — to drop
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wound — an injury
  19. last — final
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — to get on
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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