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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. field — a subject
  5. lie — to recline
  6. clip — to cut
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to bend
  9. field — for sport
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. toast — bread
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. clip — a video
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. board — to get on
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. field — farmland
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bat — the animal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. lean — to rest against

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