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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. field — farmland
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. lean — to bend
  7. board — to get on
  8. clip — to cut
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. clip — for paper
  15. board — a committee
  16. plane — a tool
  17. deal — to handle
  18. clip — a video
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. field — for sport
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. field — a subject

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