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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: net · bark · fall · board · stock · patient · tear · wound

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. wound — an injury
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. fall — to drop
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. board — to get on
  8. stock — shares
  9. net — for catching
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bark — to shout
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wound — an injury
  18. net — in sport
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. fall — to drop
  22. net — after costs
  23. fall — the season
  24. board — a committee

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