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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: trunk · wound · board · nail · mine · squash · leaves · shower

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. board — a committee
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. board — to get on
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. squash — to crush
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wound — an injury
  21. shower — rain
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. wound — an injury
  24. nail — for a hammer

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