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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. board — a committee
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. race — the arms race
  9. clip — to cut
  10. race — a contest
  11. plane — a tool
  12. spring — the season
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. race — humankind
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. spring — a coil
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. board — to get on
  23. deal — to handle
  24. leaves — 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