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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 116 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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. rash — hasty
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. file — a tool
  7. bear — the animal
  8. lean — thin
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. board — to get on
  12. bear — the animal
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a document
  17. perch — the fish
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rash — a series
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. spring — the season
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lean — to bend
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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