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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: tube · face · hand · dip · saw · court · wound · board

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. dip — to sink
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. hand — in cards
  12. face — part of the head
  13. tube — the underground
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. tube — a container
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. face — to confront
  21. saw — the tool
  22. court — of law
  23. face — to point toward
  24. hand — help

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