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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. can — a tin
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. board — a committee
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. land — ground
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. spring — the season
  12. can — a tin
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. land — a country
  18. spring — of water
  19. field — farmland
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. field — for sport
  22. can — to be able to
  23. field — a subject
  24. land — to come down

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