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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. march — music
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. lean — thin
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. board — a committee
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. date — the fruit
  13. lean — to bend
  14. march — the month
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. dip — to sink
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. march — the month
  22. perch — the fish
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. trunk — of a tree

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