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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 · hand · swing · wound · sharp · stem · key · nail

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. key — the most important part
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. swing — music
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. swing — in golf
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. key — in music
  12. wound — an injury
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. sharp — clever
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. board — to get on
  21. stem — to come from
  22. key — for a lock
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. swing — to play on

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