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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 116 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: land · net · bore · wound · wake · bowl · board · ball

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wound — an injury
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. net — for catching
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. board — a committee
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. net — in sport
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. land — to come down
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. net — after costs
  24. bowl — a football final

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