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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cap — a lid
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lean — thin
  7. prune — to trim
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wind — moving air
  10. board — to get on
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. lean — to bend
  14. snap — to click
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — in golf
  19. cap — a hat
  20. board — a committee
  21. prune — to trim
  22. swing — to play on
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cap — of ice

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