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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bore — to tire
  3. band — a ring
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. squash — to crush
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. present — the time now
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. board — to get on
  15. lean — thin
  16. squash — the sport
  17. present — there
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. present — a gift
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bore — to drill
  23. band — a music group
  24. cap — a lid

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