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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: club · mate · foot · wound · land · board · saw · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. board — to get on
  3. snap — to click
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. land — a country
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mate — a partner
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. mate — a friend
  12. land — to come down
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. land — ground
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. mate — to breed
  20. club — a group
  21. saw — the tool
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  24. wound — an injury

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