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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rest — what's left
  7. season — of the year
  8. rest — a break
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. season — in sport
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wax — to grow
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. board — a committee
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cell — a phone
  24. rest — what's left

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