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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. sharp — clever
  4. prune — to trim
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — to shout
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lean — thin
  14. board — to get on
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lean — to bend
  19. cap — of ice
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. cap — a hat
  24. prune — the fruit

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