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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 120 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. board — to get on
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. clip — to cut
  6. board — a committee
  7. pop — to visit
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. face — to point toward
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. clip — a video
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. face — part of the head
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. fork — in a road
  19. clip — for paper
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. pop — music
  22. face — to confront
  23. pop — soda
  24. fork — to eat with

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