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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. season — of the year
  4. bore — to tire
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. date — the fruit
  9. season — in sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. wake — a trail
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. field — farmland
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. craft — boats
  18. board — to get on
  19. bore — to drill
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. field — for sport
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. craft — a skill
  24. board — a flat piece

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