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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. field — a subject
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. board — to get on
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. field — for sport
  9. cap — of ice
  10. board — a committee
  11. field — farmland
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cap — a hat
  15. clip — a video
  16. lean — thin
  17. clip — for paper
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. clip — to cut
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cap — a lid
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. dip — to sink

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