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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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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: rest · deal · bound · board · wind · snap · shower · prune

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — certain
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. wind — moving air
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. snap — to click
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. board — to get on
  11. bound — obliged
  12. shower — rain
  13. wind — moving air
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. shower — to wash
  20. deal — to handle
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wind — to turn a key

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