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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. shower — to wash
  3. lean — to bend
  4. date — the fruit
  5. board — a committee
  6. spring — the season
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. wax — to grow
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. firm — a company
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. firm — decided
  21. shower — rain
  22. firm — steady
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. spring — of water

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