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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. board — to get on
  5. wax — to grow
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. chest — of your body
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bark — to shout
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. chest — a box
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. board — a committee
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. chest — of your body
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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