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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. board — to get on
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. board — a committee
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. spring — of water
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. perch — the fish
  10. dip — to sink
  11. spell — letters
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spell — magic
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. field — for sport
  16. spring — the season
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. tear — from crying
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. field — a subject
  21. spring — a coil
  22. field — farmland
  23. leaves — to go away
  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