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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: saw · rule · track · board · mouse · wound · season · wind

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. board — to get on
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. rule — government
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. board — a committee
  9. rule — a law
  10. track — a path
  11. season — of the year
  12. wind — moving air
  13. season — in sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. track — a song
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. track — to keep track
  24. mouse — the animal

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