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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: ground · deal · bound · stem · wound · chest · board · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chest — of your body
  4. board — to get on
  5. bound — obliged
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bound — tied together
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. chest — of your body
  11. ground — a position
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. wound — an injury
  14. hand — help
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bound — certain
  20. ground — the earth
  21. deal — to handle
  22. ground — crushed
  23. chest — a box
  24. board — a committee

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