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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: bark · bore · net · last · game · wind · board · plane

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. last — to go on
  6. bark — to shout
  7. board — a committee
  8. net — after costs
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bore — to tire
  12. last — final
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bore — to drill
  15. net — for catching
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. wind — moving air
  18. plane — a tool
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wind — moving air
  21. net — in sport
  22. board — to get on
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. last — finally

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