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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. lean — thin
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mate — to breed
  11. board — to get on
  12. game — a match
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mate — a friend
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. mate — a partner
  18. game — wild animals

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