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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. root — of a word
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. board — a committee
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. hand — help
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. root — of a plant
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. root — the cause
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. board — to get on

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