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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: bear · season · pitcher · wound · board · trunk · date · firm

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. board — a committee
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. firm — decided
  12. bear — the animal
  13. date — the fruit
  14. wound — an injury
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. firm — a company
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. wound — an injury
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. firm — steady
  22. season — of the year
  23. bear — the animal
  24. season — in sport

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