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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. clip — a video
  3. mate — a friend
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bulb — for light
  8. board — to get on
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. firm — decided
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. spring — a coil
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spring — the season
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bulb — for light
  18. firm — steady
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. spring — of water
  22. lean — to bend
  23. firm — a company
  24. mate — to breed

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