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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bear — the animal
  5. file — a line of people
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. court — of a king
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. file — a document
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bulb — for light
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. fall — the season
  18. board — a committee
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. court — for sport
  21. bulb — for light
  22. court — of law
  23. fall — to drop
  24. file — a tool

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