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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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468
Word bank
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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. tear — from crying
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. root — of a word
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. press — to push
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. root — the cause
  10. press — a publisher
  11. board — to get on
  12. root — of a plant
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. perch — the fish
  15. tear — to rip
  16. rash — a series
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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