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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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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. spring — of water
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. board — a committee
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. field — a subject
  15. board — to get on
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. lean — thin
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. arm — part of the body

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