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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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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: board · wave · spell · season · cold · fork · stick · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  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. pound — for dogs
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. cold — an illness
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. season — in sport
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. board — to get on
  12. spell — letters
  13. pound — a weight
  14. spell — magic
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. fork — in a road
  18. spell — a short time
  19. season — of the year
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. board — a flat piece
  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