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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 120 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. land — a country
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. land — to come down
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. wax — to grow
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. clip — to cut
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. clip — a video
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. ball — a great time
  20. foot — a measure
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. clip — for paper
  23. board — a committee
  24. land — ground

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