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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: bark · wave · board · saw · race · mine · dip · jam

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. race — the arms race
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. mine — for digging
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — humankind
  14. board — to get on
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. saw — the tool
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. saw — the tool
  24. jam — a tight spot

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